World Cup-bound Socceroos midfielder Jackson Irvine has taken aim at Fifa and the US over the governing body\u2019s awarding of a peace prize to President Donald Trump, heightening tensions ahead of a tournament already weighed down by geopolitical pressures and controversial pricing.<\/p>\n
Irvine has previously captained Australia<\/a> and is on track to appear at his third World Cup after recovering from a foot injury. As a member of the global players\u2019 union Fifpro, Irvine holds a senior advocacy role.<\/p>\n The 33-year-old becomes the leading critic of Fifa<\/a> among current players after telling Reuters on Wednesday that giving a peace prize to Trump went against the principles of football\u2019s governing body, which has broad human rights obligations.<\/p>\n \u201cAs an organisation, you would have to say decisions like the one that we saw awarding this peace prize makes a mockery of what they\u2019re trying to do with the human rights charter and trying to use football as a global driving force for good and positive change in the world,\u201d Irvine said.<\/p>\n Fifa president Gianni Infantino defended the decision in February, telling Sky News of Trump\u2019s role securing a \u00adceasefire between Israel and Hamas<\/a>. \u201cObjectively, he deserves it,\u201d Infantino said.<\/p>\n In a statement, White House spokesperson Davis Ingle said: \u201cThere is no one else in the world more deserving of Fifa\u2019s first ever peace prize than President Trump. Anyone who thinks otherwise clearly suffers from a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome.\u201d<\/p>\n Irvine\u2019s comments inflame an already simmering buildup to the tournament. Inflated ticket<\/a> and transport prices<\/a> have drawn the ire of fans, and the war in the Middle East has layered a complex diplomatic environment over Iran\u2019s involvement in the tournament<\/a>, while concerns over human rights within the US are increasing<\/a>.<\/p>\n Donald Trump puts on the inaugural Fifa peace prize presented to him by Gianni Infantino. Photograph: Evan Vucci\/AP<\/p>\n Trump was awarded the prize<\/a> at the World Cup draw in December, when Infantino said: \u201cThis is what we want from a leader; a leader that cares about the people.\u201d Since Trump received the award, the US has undertaken major military actions in Venezuela and Iran.<\/p>\n \u201cDecisions like [awarding Trump the peace prize] feel like they just set us back in the perceived market of what football currently is, especially at the top level where it\u2019s becoming so disconnected from society and the grassroots of what the game actually is and means in our communities and in the world,\u201d Irvine said.<\/p>\n The Australian has a history of sharing his opinions on human rights issues, and encouraged players to express themselves at the World Cup in Qatar in 2022. Alongside Socceroos colleagues, he issued a collective statement<\/a> raising concerns about the \u201csuffering\u201d of migrant workers in Qatar and the inability of LGBTI+ people \u201cto love the person that they choose\u201d.<\/p>\n He said this week he also has concerns for LGBTI+ communities in the US. \u201cIt\u2019s not an issue just in the Middle East, in America we\u2019re seeing more and more of the rights of these communities \u2026 being taken away all over the country,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have to sincerely hope that we see a lot of open support in that space as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Fifa has yet to decide whether players can wear armbands during this year\u2019s World Cup to express support for social causes. Irvine said he has sympathy for players who choose to keep their opinions private, given the highly polarised political environment.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve got a group who are unbelievably supportive and really love to see people in these positions speak up about issues that they care about,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd on the other side, the opposite, the polarisation has gone further. People really actively dislike players trying to bring politics into sport.\u201d<\/p>\n