The rights organization Human Rights Watch has criticized the new Peace Prize which will be awarded by football governing body FIFA.
Human Rights Watch director Minky Worden said at a news conference on Wednesday that there is no transparent procedure, no nominees and no jury. She added that the award was also news to the FIFA Council, the federation’s supervisory body.
The prize, bigged up by FIFA chief Gianni Infantino, will be presented for the first time on Friday during the 2026 World Cup group stage draw in Washington.
There has been speculation that United States President Donald Trump could receive the award, which is to honour “individuals who have taken exceptional and extraordinary actions for peace and by doing so have united people across the world,” according to FIFA.
During the news conference, a spokesperson for Reporters Without Borders said that the organization is concerned that journalists could be turned away at the US border during next June and July’s World Cup due to strict entry controls.
They pointed out that it is difficult to predict what could trigger a search and that a reporter could be turned away for a harmless social media post that the Trump administration does not like, for example.
Worden said the situation regarding human rights and immigration in the US has significantly changed since Trump took office in January.
“It seems that the world is not welcome,” Worden said.
According to her information, between January 20 and October 15 this year, at least 92,392 people were arrested in and around US cities where World Cup matches will be played.
Human Rights Watch based these figures on government data that had been evaluated by the organization.