Unmitigated delight

What lies behind the Peace Prize awarded in Washington, on December 5, 2025, to Donald Trump by the president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino? More than seven months after the Mango Paedo received the award from the head of world football’s governing body, during the 2026 World Cup draw, almost no one, even within FIFA’s own administration, knows the details of the move. Apparently, fewer than 10 FIFA staff members were involved in Infantino’s plan, which was funded by the organisation and developed in an almost paranoid atmosphere. On top of the administration being kept in the dark, FIFA’s elected officials were not informed. Speaking anonymously, a member of FIFA’s Council (its governing body) said they learned about the trophy “from the media.” When asked if Infantino subsequently provide any explanation to the 37 council members, they replied “Absolutely not, … no one knew anything about it, and no one knows who picked the winner”¹.

If Infantino expected to set this up as a perpetual prize, anyone who is asked to receive it should turn it down, because being in the company of Trump as a recipient, makes the prize as rancid as the contents of Trump’s adult nappies. Maybe Infantino was angling for a swag of cash by way of crumbs from the Trump corruption machine. Who knows?

So what did Infantino do next other than sit in the stands looking like a spare knob at a knocking shop? When asked by the Mango Paedo to interfere with a referee decision in the game between the US and Bosnia-Herzegovina, which led to one of the US goal-scorers, Folarin Balogun being sent off, Infantino replied: ‘Yes sir! Immediately.’ Not only did the Mango Paedo whine about the red card, but he questioned the referee’s integrity (pot, kettle, black!), to the extent that FIFA had to defend the referee. This decision allowed Balogun to play in the following game, in which the US played Belgium.

Infantino’s decision prompted criticism from Belgium’s football association, Europe’s top football body (UEFA), former FIFA head, Sepp Blatter, numerous top former players and many others. Critics argued that overturning a red card suspension after direct political intervention undermined the integrity of the tournament and set a dangerous precedent. The Belgian football association also accused FIFA of effectively killing any chance for it to challenge the global sports body’s decision. Hours later, FIFA rejected Belgium’s appeal against its decision².

You know that if Sepp Blatter comes out stating that you have gone too far, you really have overstepped the mark, because Blatter, when head of FIFA, was forced to resign because of a huge corruption scandal. Infantino replaced Blatter³.

So, it was with a great deal of trepidation that I watched the game between the US and Belgium. In the first few minutes of the game, it was clear that the Belgian team were technically superior and the first goal was scored by De Ketelaere in the ninth minute. Belgium up 1:0. Tillman scored for the US in the 31st minute from a free kick, aided by a deflection off the wall which wrong-footed the ‘keeper, Courtois. All square 1:1. Two minutes later, De Ketelaere, struck again. Belgium up 2:1. Belgium’s two goals were lovely, well constructed from crosses not far in front of the ‘keeper which could partly be put down to inexpert defending. After half-time, things in the goal-scoring department got weird. US keeper Freese came way off his line to meet a long ball but his attempted kick only found his foot digging into the turf, with the ball instead ending up in the possession of Vanaken, whose shot from about 20 metres out, beat defender Ream. Belgium up 3:1. Try as they might, the US could not slot another one into the net. However, in extra time, substitute Lukaku, whose career has been all about scoring goals for top clubs like Chelsea, Everton, Manchester United, Inter Milan and Napoli⁴, obtained the ball from another defensive cockup in the corner of the field and slotted it past the keeper to hit the net just inside the far post. Belgium up 4:1⁵.

I have rarely enjoyed a soccer result as much, not since John Aloisi’s winning penalty in a shootout against Uruguay to send Australia to the 2006 World Cup⁶.

We were having lunch at a restaurant when the game reached its last 20 minutes or so, and kept abreast of the score as the minutes ticked down. The people at the table next to ours were doing the same, and their beaming smiles were almost as wide as ours when full time came. Belgium won 4:1. When we got home, we watched the highlights on SBS⁷. I might watch them again some time.

As they keep saying ‘everything Trump touches, turns to shit’. And so it continues. It seems that Trump will eventually fall after the November midterms, if not before. The sooner the better for the US. Infantino needs to fall too. He has brought the game into disrepute through his actions, and it is clear that the governance of FIFA needs to change so that corrupt bastards like Blatter and Infantino can never get anywhere near positions of authority.

Sources

1. https://www.lemonde.fr/en/sports/article/2026/06/23/fifa-peace-prize-awarded-to-trump-by-infantino-sparks-controversy-within-football-organization_6754800_9.html
2. https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2026/7/6/why-fifas-balogun-red-card-suspension-after-trump-call-is-so-controversial
3. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-06-03/sepp-blatter-resigns-as-fifa-president/6516718
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romelu_Lukaku
5. https://www.espn.com/soccer/report/_/gameId/760507
6. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-11-16/socceroos-uruguay-world-cup-qualifier-20-year-anniversary/106010284
7. https://www.sbs.com.au/sport/video/fifa-world-cup-2026-highlights-usa-v-belgium-round-of-16/arih72rzw