They never leave each other anymore. Gianni Infantino, the president of Fifa, attended the first meeting of the Peace Council convened by Donald Trump in Washington this Thursday, February 19. On the program of this meeting initiated by the United States to compete at the UN, which the American president has continued to challenge since the start of his second term, the question of a possible peace agreement with Iran in the context of tensions in the Middle East was raised.
But Infantino’s presence at the heart of this strategic and geopolitical summit mainly concerned Palestine. Indeed, on behalf of Fifa, Trump revealed that the body governing international football had committed to raising 75 million dollars (around 63 million euros) for the reconstruction of sports infrastructure in the Gaza Strip, a large part of which was razed as part of the armed conflict with Israel.
“Everyone is head of state except Gianni”
Donald Trump took advantage of the event to speak directly to the boss of Fifa, wishing to recall the political power of football. “You build stadiums and you attract the best stars in the world, people who are bigger than you and me,” he recalled before lightly mocking Infantino. “Here, everyone is head of state except Gianni, but he is the boss of football, so it’s not so bad. Isn’t that right, Gianni? I think it’s your work that I prefer. »
Present at the meeting with Viktor Orbán and Javier Milei, respectively Prime Minister of Hungary and President of Argentina, Infantino was in fact the only non-political leader to participate in the Peace Council. On the other hand, no French and Canadian representatives were seen.
Last December, on the sidelines of the draw for the 2026 World Cup, the president of Fifa awarded the newly awarded Peace Prize to Donald Trump.
