Trump and Infantino – too close for comfort?

Staged just a mile from the White House, Friday’s World Cup draw will have a distinctly political feel.

The famous Washington arts institution, which is currently under US President Donald Trump’s leadership after he overhauled its board this year, will host the glittering ceremony.

Trump will attend along with leaders of the other two co-hosts, Canada’s Mark Carney and Mexico’s Claudia Sheinbaum, as well as celebrities from the sports industry, including the president of Mexico and the US sports and show business.

Proceedings, however, seem to have been planned with the US president very much in mind.

YMCA, a Trump supporter that is frequently heard at his campaign rallies, has been confirmed by American disco group Village People. A new Fifa Peace Prize will be awarded at the drawing ceremony, which is expected to be done by Trump in accordance with tradition.

Such gestures will only underline the alliance forged between the US president and Fifa counterpart Gianni Infantino, who announced the prize last month after claiming that Trump deserved to win the Nobel Peace Prize for his contribution to the Israel-Gaza ceasefire, and enthusiastically praising his policies.

For critics, these actions threaten Fifa’s commitment to political neutrality, which is embodied in its statutes, and could also delegitimize the draw and the competition as propaganda tools.

They think Infantino and Trump are far too close for comfort, and it sends a message that the world’s ruling body is supporting the Make America Great Again (Maga) movement and backing a divided administration, as many people believe. Is it wise, they ask, that Fifa is seen to associate so closely with a man who only this week made disparaging comments about Somali immigrants, describing them as “garbage”?

One senior Fifa Council official told BBC Sport, “Why can’t this be bigger than the Nobel Peace Prize?,” in response to rumor that the Fifa Council was notconsulted about it. It’s appropriate that football recognizes extraordinary efforts to bring about peace every year because it enjoys strong support from around the world.

The US’s last host of the World Cup was in 1994, but President Bill Clinton made a decision to not participate in the draw. But it is no surprise that Trump has chosen to play a prominent role, given the global platform the World Cup offers him.

He made his first appearance at this year’s Club World Cup final, choosing to remain on the podium as Chelsea celebrated their victory. He clearly enjoyed doing so while still enjoying the spotlight after presenting them with the trophy.

Additionally, he and Infantino frequently appear together in recent events, including at events that aren’t related to sports.

Since first visiting the Oval Office in 2018 during Trump’s first term, Infantino has been spotted with Trump at the Davos Economic Forum, the signing in Washington of the Abraham Accords – an agreement between Israel and some Arab nations in the Middle East in 2020 – and even as a guest at Trump’s second inauguration in January.

Following that incident, Fifa officially acknowledged the pair’s close friendship, with Infantino himself arguing that it made sense given how significant it was for the US to host both the World Cup and the Club World Cup.

Infantino also alleged that he had a responsibility to promote and develop the game internationally and that he regularly met with world leaders.

While Infantino seemed to have much less of a rapport with US President Joe Biden during his time in the White House, that has indeed been the case with other heads of state.

After promising to restore Fifa’s reputation and finances following a massive corruption scandal, Infantino has come close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who presented him with a Russian Order of Friendship medal in 2019 along with the rulers of two other World Cup hosts in Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

Earlier this year, delegates from Europe’s governing body Uefa staged a walkout from the Fifa Congress in Paraguay when Infantino arrived hours late after joining Trump on a tour of the Middle East, accusing him of prioritising “private political interests” which “does the game no service”.

It is obvious that politics should not participate in football and that football should not participate in politics, according to Infantino himself in 2018.

He defended the trip, saying it was crucial because it “performed as a player in significant discussions” with “world leaders in politics and economy” and that it had been important.

But the episode only intensified scrutiny on the relationship, as did Fifa’s decision to set up a new office in New York’s Trump Tower. Infantino also made an unexpected appearance at an Egyptian summit in October, where Trump and other world leaders signed a peace declaration.

There have also been concerns about the potential impact of some of Trump’s statements on the World Cup, as well as concern about the welcome of visitors from some nations, despite this diplomatic footballing behavior.

In response to the need to manage security threats, the White House listed 19 nations, primarily those in Africa, the Middle East, and the Caribbean, as having full or partial immigration restrictions in June.

Amid suggestions that the list could be expanded to as many as 30 countries after an Afghan man was identified as the suspect in the recent shooting of two National Guard soldiers near the White House, Fifa has vowed to have a welcoming and unifying tournament.

However, the ban applies to both Iran and Haiti, both of which have qualified for the World Cup. Iran announced last week that the country would boycott the draw because their delegation had only a few visas available.

The June executive order exempts athletes and coaching staff from travelling for the World Cup, but fans could face a ban.

The executive director of the White House’s World Cup Task Force, Andrew Giuliani, stated on Wednesday that “we want to make sure that we’re as welcoming as possible.”

Giuliani praised a program that was intended to shorten the time between interviews for visitors visas for those who had tickets, but he did not oppose Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids targeting undocumented immigrants at World Cup venues. Giuliani insisted that authorities wanted to ensure visitors came into the US legally to prioritise the safety of US citizens.

Civil liberties activists worry about this stance, Human Rights Watch claiming that the draw will take place in the wake of “violent detentions of immigrants, National Guard deployments in US cities, and the obsequious cancellation of Fifa’s own anti-racism and anti-discrimination campaigns.”

The deadline has passed, but the clock is ticking, according to the statement.

During a meeting with Infantino at the Oval Office last month Trump suggested he might even take matches away from Democratic-run host cities if he had concerns over safety and security.

His words heightened the uncertainty surrounding the tournament despite it being uncertain whether the president will or could not proceed with a move that would result in significant logistical and legal problems.

Trump also suggested that Trump launch “strikes” against Mexico to stop the flow of drugs into the US. Coming after Trump’s trade policies had already caused friction with both Mexico and Canada, it only reinforced concerns about the level of co-operation between the three World Cup co-hosts over issues such as security at the tournament.

Being close to Trump’s family is even more important, according to Infantino, given the unpredictability of some of his statements.

Trump’s second term has been focused on the World Cup. He will have the ideal opportunity to promote his brand on a global stage as well as coincide with the upcoming US independence anniversary, which will be celebrated in 2021.

The event could provide a welcome tourism boost after a sluggish year for the industry in the US, with Fifa forecasting it will generate £22bn in economic output and create 200, 000 jobs. Before Los Angeles hosts the Olympics and Paralympics in 2028, the nation has a chance to demonstrate that it can produce a successful mega-event through the tournament.

The most lucrative sports event ever organized is a very profitable money-spinner for Infantino. It enables him to honour his pledge to grow the game in the US, boost Fifa’s commercial revenues and increase payments to national football associations – doing no harm to his chances of a third re-election as president in 2027.

Fifa will now be able to offer an official ticket resale platform for the tournament that will earn it an unprecedented 30% commission on every sale thanks to a deregulated US market.

Fans are at risk of being exploited by a pricing system that doesn’t fit the World Cup’s spirit, according to fan representatives, who have condemned the decision. But it also helps explain why Fifa expects to bring in a record £10bn in its 2023 to 2026 cycle.