One of Donald Trump\u2019s closest sporting allies has created what some are calling football\u2019s version of the Nobel Peace Prize, only weeks after the US president was snubbed for the real thing.<\/p>\n
Fifa president Gianni Infantino<\/a> announced the creation of the Fifa Peace Prize, to be awarded each year to \u201cindividuals who help unite people in peace through unwavering commitment and special actions\u201d. The inaugural award will be presented on 5 December during the World Cup draw at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington DC, a high-profile event that Trump is expected to attend.<\/p>\n In a statement released<\/a> ahead of his joint appearance with Trump at the America Business Forum in Miami on Wednesday, Infantino said the prize would further the sport\u2019s moral responsibility to unite people.<\/p>\n \u201cIn an increasingly unsettled and divided world, it\u2019s fundamental to recognise the outstanding contribution of those who work hard to end conflicts and bring people together in a spirit of peace,\u201d Infantino said. \u201cFootball stands for peace, and on behalf of the entire global football community, this prize will recognise the enormous efforts of those individuals who unite people, bringing hope for future generations.\u201d<\/p>\n The timing has drawn attention given Trump\u2019s ongoing preoccupation with the Nobel peace prize<\/a>, which he has aggressively campaigned for and carped about throughout his presidency.<\/p>\n After this year\u2019s award went to Venezuelan opposition leader Mar\u00eda Corina Machado<\/a>, a phalanx of senior White House aides denounced the decision<\/a> as \u201cpolitics over peace\u201d. Days later, speaking from Capitol Hill amid a government shutdown, the Republican House speaker Mike Johnson said he would partner with Amir Ohana<\/a>, the speaker of Israel\u2019s Knesset, to rally parliamentary leaders worldwide to jointly nominate Trump<\/a> for next year\u2019s prize. \u201cNo one has ever deserved that prize more,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n Infantino\u2019s announcement follows a month of peace-themed stagecraft featuring both men. The Fifa chief joined Trump at a 13 October summit in Egypt shortly after a ceasefire came into effect in Gaza, then told investors in Riyadh on 28 October that football should \u201cinvest in happiness\u201d and promote unity. Fifa recently added another link to Trump by appointing his daughter Ivanka to the board of a $100m education project part-funded by 2026 World Cup<\/a> ticket sales.<\/p>\n The \u201cFifa Peace Prize \u2013 Football Unites the World\u201d, as it will formally be known, will be presented annually \u201con behalf of all football-loving people\u201d from around the globe. Infantino has framed the initiative as part of his wider campaign to position football as a global force for dialogue, arguing that while \u201cthe sport cannot solve conflict\u201d, it can \u201ccarry a message of peace\u201d.<\/p>\n