PARTICIPATION TROPHY: CRITICS MOCK DONALD TRUMP'S FIFA "PEACE" AWARD
FIFA President Gianni Infantino honoured President Donald Trump for advancing peace, a move critics immediately slammed as "ridiculous" and a political favour to the Nobel-less president.
President Donald Trump received the first FIFA Peace Prize on Friday for his unwavering commitment to advancing peace and unity throughout the world, leading to eye rolls from his critics.
Trump, who wanted the Nobel Peace Prize but didn't get it, was honoured by FIFA, international soccer's governing body, at the 2026 World Cup draw at the Kennedy Centre in Washington, D.C.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino told Trump, You deserve the first FIFA Peace Prize for what you have done...in an incredible way. You can always count on my support, and the support of the entire soccer community, to help you make peace and make the world better.
Infantino said the award, created this year, is given yearly on behalf of the billions of soccer fans worldwide to recognise someone who shows a commitment to promoting peace and unity through leadership and action.
So, FIFA gives the 2025 FIFA Peace Prize, Football Unites the World, to Donald J. Trump, president of the United States of America, for his exceptional actions to promote peace and unity globally, Infantino said.
Trump, who claims to have helped end eight foreign wars, said the award was one of the great honours of my life.
We saved millions of lives. For example, in the Congo, over 10 million people were killed, and it was about to be another 10 million quickly.
India-Pakistan, many wars that we were able to end, sometimes just before they started...
Trump's critics say FIFA created the prize to please the president.
MeidasTouch, an anti-Trump media group, tweeted, Humiliating for everyone involved.
Liberal influencer Brian Krassenstein tweeted, "FIFA just made up a 'peace prize' to kiss Trump's butt, while Trump just killed four civilians in international waters," referring to boat bombings in the Caribbean.
The X account Patriot Takes added, FIFA made up a 'peace prize' just for Trump. Dictators do this kind of ridiculous thing.
Ron Filipkowski, a Republican who now criticises Trump, said it reminded him of my days as a T-ball coach handing out participation trophies at the end-of-season pizza party.
"The happiest I've ever seen Trump was when he put this fake medal around his neck," he added.
Liberal influencer Joanne Carducci said the ceremony was so f------ embarrassing.
CRISTIANO RONALDO PROTESTS AL-HILAL'S BENZEMA DEAL BY SKIPPING AL-NASSR LEAGUE MATCH
Cristiano Ronaldo is fuming. Discover why the Al-Nassr star skipped his last match and is now threatening to leave Saudi Arabia.
Cristiano Ronaldo has been the main attraction in the Saudi Pro League ever since he landed in the Middle East three years ago. Now, for the first time, it looks like he’s actually thinking about leaving. He’s frustrated. He feels the playing field isn’t level, and it’s starting to get to him.
Here’s the deal: Four clubs in the league—Al-Ittihad, Al-Nassr, Al-Hilal, and Al-Ahli—get their backing straight from the state. But Ronaldo sat out Al-Nassr’s match against Al-Riyadh on Monday night. Why? He was protesting. He found out Al-Hilal was about to sign Karim Benzema from Al-Ittihad, and that was the last straw. From Ronaldo’s perspective, Al-Hilal keeps getting more freedom to splash cash than everyone else. They’re the current champions, and Ronaldo still hasn’t managed to win his first Saudi title.
Saudi officials tried to calm him down. According to Diario AS, they reached out and argued that most of Al-Hilal’s extra spending comes from Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, not the Public Investment Fund (PIF). Al-Hilal just brought in Kader Meite for €30 million, Saimon Bouabre for €23 million, and now Benzema. Al-Nassr, on the other hand, only managed two free transfers this winter. Sure, they spent a lot more in the summer, but that didn’t seem to matter to Ronaldo.
Reports from Portugal, cited by AS, say Ronaldo’s not ruling anything out—not even leaving Saudi Arabia this summer. That’s despite just signing an extension with Al-Nassr until 2027.
And honestly, he has a point. Since he arrived, Al-Hilal have spent €647 million, while Al-Nassr have shelled out €410 million and Al-Ittihad €365 million. These numbers probably don’t include salaries—and let’s face it, nobody’s making more than Ronaldo. He’s supposed to return on Friday when Al-Nassr face Al-Ittihad, but right now, no one really knows if he’ll play or if he’s planning his next move.
N’GOLO KANTE SKIPS TRAINING AS AL-ITTIHAD BLOCK HIS MOVE TO FENERBAHCE OFFICIALLY
N’Golo Kante has gone on strike at Al-Ittihad after a paperwork error blocked his move to Fenerbahce. Can he still sign by Friday?
N’Golo Kanté didn’t show up for Al-Ittihad training on Tuesday, and it’s not hard to see why. He was all set to head to Fenerbahçe, but the deal fell apart at the last minute—apparently because Al-Ittihad messed up some paperwork. Kante was supposed to fly to Istanbul and sign, but thanks to this administrative slip, he’s stuck in limbo. There’s still a shot at reviving the transfer sinceKanté Turkey’s transfer window stays open until Friday, February 6.
Kante was one of the first big European names to jump to the Saudi Pro League, joining Al-Ittihad in 2023 after seven years with Chelsea. He’s been a key player in Jeddah, helping Al-Ittihad win the 2024-25 league title and the King’s Cup.
Then, in the middle of the January window, word got out that Fenerbahce wanted him. The Turkish club were eager to add a World Cup winner to their squad. The plan was to swap Kante for Youssef En-Nesyri, who’d head to Saudi Arabia. Everything seemed set until deadline day, when news broke that an error by Al-Ittihad in the Transfer Matching System stopped the transfer cold.
Fenerbahce didn’t hold back. They blamed Al-Ittihad directly, saying they’d done everything right: agreements with the players, medicals, paperwork, all wrapped up on time. But Al-Ittihad entered something wrong in the system, and that was that. Fenerbahçe even asked for an extension and reached out to FIFA, but nothing moved. In the end, the deal died, and Fenerbahçe put out a statement saying they understood the frustration and would keep working to strengthen the squad.
Meanwhile, Kante’s making his feelings clear. According to Ben Jacobs, he skipped training on Tuesday, still hoping the move to Fenerbahce can happen. Santi Aouna says talks between the clubs aren’t dead yet. L’Equipe is reporting that Kanté doesn’t want to play for Al-Ittihad while he waits for FIFA’s decision. With the Turkish window open until Friday, there’s still a glimmer of hope for Kante, though En-Nesyri’s move is off the table for now.