Infantino, Trump and the Quest for Global Harmony: A FIFA-Style Approach
'VARIOUS IDEOLOGIES … DIFFERENT APPROACHES …'
Following María Corina Machado won the latest Nobel Peace Prize for her "dedicated campaigning supporting political freedoms", the American president reacted with the kind of magnanimous response you would expect. After consistently conducted an effort of self-aggrandizement to ensure he was the recipient, the leader promptly asserted credit for the Venezuelan activist's achievement, cataloged his own self-proclaimed and often debatable accomplishments in the field of world conflict resolution and attacked the authority of the selection panel who made the decision not to grant the honor, cash prize and document to him.
Although safety issues indicate it has yet to be determined if the recently honored Nobel laureate will appear from hiding to receive her award in person at the Oslo ceremony in December, a certain obsequious football association leader appears determined on appropriating her thunder regardless. Indeed, Gianni Infantino has opted to award a peace prize of his original design in front of a global TV audience of numerous global soccer enthusiasts the previous week in Washington.
A man who has throughout numerous seasons promoted the importance of keeping politics away from soccer, specifically when they are the kind of political positions he finds awkward or just disapproves of, Infantino used his platform at the US economic conference in Miami to promote his agenda about the power of football to unite people of all races and creed, particularly those who have extra $5,000-plus knocking around to buy variable cost Geopolitics World Cup admissions.
"Within an increasingly unstable and fragmented global community, it's crucial to recognize the exceptional effort of individuals who labor diligently to resolve conflicts and connect communities in a spirit of peace", he announced. "Soccer represents peace and on behalf of the whole football community, the Fifa Peace Prize – Soccer Connects Globally will celebrate the tremendous endeavors of these people who connect communities, providing hope for tomorrow's world."
Yet who could he mean? Although the FIFA president was cautious not to offer clear signals regarding the individual of the initial prize's fortunate winner, he did move into a likely unrelated and obsequious recognition to his current Best Friend Forever (Or In The Short Term), the American leader. His comments definitely had the intended outcome. Internationally, the most skeptical of commentators were joined in stating they recognized precisely who would be obtaining the Pretend Peace Prize, with some even progressing to make entirely baseless allegations that the legally adjudicated and competitive misconduct person being discussed might possibly compelled the FIFA head to create the award just to compensate for the president's sense of grievance at failing to receive the real thing.
As plausible a circumstance as it appears, The Sports Publication holds a different view, particularly since in the past few months the progressively preposterous Fifa boss has maneuvered himself to such a degree within the leader's circle that there's every chance this new wheeze was in fact his original concept.
And while one might reasonably conclude it stays outside Infantino's constrained creativity to deliver the mother of all curveballs by presenting the initial (and perhaps final) harmony award to Greta Thunberg, Volodymyr Zelenskyy or that member of the Italian team's technical team who intervened between the footballer and the coach to prevent an unedifying major tournament sideline confrontation, we can at least hope the English defender and his football associates are requested to participate to Washington wearing uniforms to perform a revenge-hijack of the leader's award event.
The metallic debatable award, or whatever other similarly tasteful bauble Infantino chooses to give the American president for his efforts to world harmony and togetherness, would adequately compensate for the championship award he notoriously appropriated and retained during the global team tournament presentation ceremony.
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FEATURED STATEMENT
"An individual who collaborated extensively with entertainment icons informed me that the time that they become famous is the stage they remain for their entire existence. I reflected: 'That fails to promise favorably for me.' I was subject to media attention at sixteen and thrust before the media. You grow up, you start a family, but you continue as a footballer. Subsequently, suddenly, it concludes but your entire persona is still connected in it" – Joe Cole is on good form during a cracking conversation.
