FIFA's President, Trump and the Pursuit for Peace: A FIFA-Style Approach
'THIS-ISM … THAT-ISM …'
When the Venezuelan opposition leader received this year's prestigious peace award for her "dedicated campaigning promoting civil liberties", the American president reacted displaying the kind of magnanimous response one might anticipate. Having tirelessly conducted a push of self-aggrandizement to make certain he was the recipient, the leader promptly claimed acknowledgment for the South American activist's success, listed his own personally declared and often dubious successes in the area of global peacemaking and attacked the legitimacy of the committee who made the decision not to present the honor, monetary award and diploma to him.
While protection considerations indicate it remains to be seen if the newly crowned Nobel laureate will emerge from seclusion to receive her honor personally at the Oslo ceremony in December, a certain overly deferential Fifa president seems determined on stealing her spotlight anyway. Yup, the FIFA president has chosen to award a peace prize of his original design in facing a global TV audience of hundreds of millions international football fans in the preceding days in Washington.
A person who has over many years advocated the significance of keeping politics separate from football, particularly when they are the kind of ideological stances he finds awkward or merely objects to, Infantino employed his platform at the American corporate gathering in the Florida city to bang his drum about the capacity of soccer to bring together citizens of every color and creed, notably those who have extra $5,000-plus available to purchase flexibly valued Geopolitics World Cup tickets.
"In a growingly uncertain and fragmented global community, it is essential to recognize the remarkable effort of individuals who work hard to stop disputes and unite individuals in a spirit of harmony", he announced. "Soccer represents peace and representing the whole sports family, the Football Unity Honor – The Game Brings Together will recognize the tremendous efforts of such persons who unite people, bringing hope for tomorrow's world."
But who could he mean? While the football official was prudent not to give specific indications about the identity of the inaugural award's fortunate winner, he did move into a likely unrelated and sycophantic tribute to his current Close Associate (Or For The Immediate Future), the American leader. His comments undoubtedly had the intended outcome. Internationally, the most skeptical of commentators were united in asserting they knew exactly who would be winning the Simulated Unity Honor, with certain individuals even going so far as make completely unfounded claims that the legally adjudicated and competitive misconduct man-baby in question might potentially forced the FIFA head to invent the award merely to offset the president's feeling of injustice at not obtaining the authentic award.
As believable a scenario as it sounds, Football Daily holds a different view, if only because in recent months the growingly ridiculous football official has maneuvered himself to such an extent up Trump's digestive tract that it's very likely this latest idea was actually his original concept.
And although one might reasonably conclude it is past Infantino's constrained creativity to deliver the mother of all curveballs by handing the organization's inaugural (and perhaps final) harmony award to the environmental campaigner, the European statesman or that member of the soccer club's training personnel who got between Ademola Lookman and Ivan Juric to stop an unedifying major tournament sideline confrontation, we can at least hope Reece James and his football associates are invited along to the city wearing uniforms to conduct a revenge-hijack of the president's honor occasion.
That metallic debatable award, or whatever other comparably suitable bauble Infantino opts to give the chief executive for his efforts to world harmony and unity, would sufficiently offset the championship award he infamously palmed and retained during the international club championship presentation ceremony.
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FEATURED STATEMENT
"Someone who collaborated a lot with entertainment icons informed me that the age that they become renown is the period they stay for the rest of their life. I reflected: 'That fails to promise favorably for me.' I found myself subject to media attention at young adulthood and positioned in front of journalists. You develop, you start a family, but you remain a soccer player. Then, all of a sudden, it concludes but your complete self-image is still associated in the game" – the retired athlete provides thoughtful perspective in a excellent interview.