Gianni Infantino, the head of world football's governing body and a close ally of Trump, presented the 79-year-old with the award during the ceremony at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC on Friday.
The narration to sing praises for Trump ran through the dodgy list of eight conflicts that Trump claims to have settled during his 10 months in office. It did not mention his extrajudicial killing of dozens of unnamed, untried people on small boats in the Caribbean, nor his loud threats to attack Venezuela. Any chance of VAR on this decision?
The audience who were present was treated to slow-motion video of Trump at the Gaza peace summit – which, in case you didn't know, the killings continue unabated, Trump meeting the Indian prime minister, Narendra Modi, Trump signing the Abraham accords, Trump with the leaders of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda – and of Infantino giving him a thumbs-up like a proud football dad.
"Thank you very much. This is truly one of the great honours of my life", Trump said with a self-satisfied smug.
Infantino said Trump won the award for "exceptional and extraordinary" actions to promote peace and unity around the world. 😂😂😂
Once the convoluted draw had concluded, the event ended like a Trump rally with the Village People belting out "YMCA". The president happily got his prize and Infantino got his man.
FIFA announced the annual prize in November, saying they would recognise people who bring "hope for future generations". Of course, their inaugural recipient was hardly a surprise.
This event has been described as a bizarre mishmash of light entertainment and international affairs, with a little football sprinkled in. In fact, The Athletic called the whole affair "FIFA's carnival of cringe"!
By now, the bewildered world knows Infantino has a tight relationship with Trump. After all, football's head honcho has visited the White House more than any world leader since Trump's return to office in January. FIFA even opened a new office in Trump Tower in New York.
The most logistically complex World Cup in history will be held across the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19, with 16 more teams added to the global showpiece, up from the 32 nations involved in Qatar in 2022.
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