FIFA CRISIS AFTER TRUMP: IS THE PEACE PRIZE BEING SCRAPPED?

According to The Athletic; FIFA, the number one governing body of world football, has entered a highly critical turning point regarding the Peace Prize, which has recently caused great controversy on a global scale. In the process closely followed by the international sports public, the future of this award, which was personally presented to United States president Donald Trump by FIFA president Gianni Infantino before the 2026 World Cup draw held in Washington in December 2025, began to be seriously questioned. The fact that this surprise award decision, which was given for the first time in the history of the institution and brought the political arena and the football world face to face directly, was not officially approved by the FIFA Council, the highest level decision-making mechanism of the organization, became the most fundamental factor igniting the fuse of the crisis. Following the increasing external pressures and internal objections, a very important evaluation step was taken at the last council meeting held in the city of Zurich. A special 22-person football social responsibility committee, which includes the legendary defender of Argentine football and Inter club Javier Zanetti as deputy chairperson, was officially included in this complex process. This aforementioned wide-ranging expert committee will discuss all aspects of the future status of the award in question, which is planned to be given annually under normal conditions. The committee members will determine through comprehensive discussions whether the award will be completely cancelled, if not, whether it will continue to be given to political leaders in the future, or whether it will be transformed into a completely different social format. Following these shocking developments, the final decision is expected to become absolutely clear at the next FIFA Council summit to be held in Doha, the capital of Qatar, in December. The fate of this controversial award, which remained in the shadow of politics and is claimed to have deviated from its original peaceful purpose, has already become a matter of great curiosity in the world media.

GÖRSEL: AL JAZEERA