Following Spain’s World Cup victory over Argentina, FIFA appeared to remove Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino from images shared on social media. However, the White House subsequently released its own set of pictures featuring the former president prominently.
Images posted on FIFA’s official social media channels after the final, showing the Spanish team with the trophy at MetLife Stadium, seemed to be cropped to exclude Trump, who was near the team during their celebrations. A photo shared by the Spanish team on Instagram immediately after the match also did not include Trump, nor did a later 20-slide post depicting the team celebrating.
On Monday afternoon, the White House shared six pictures from the final on social media, all of which included Trump. In two of these images, he was the sole person in focus, while only two of the pictures featured the Spanish team.
Trophy presentation and past incidents
Trump’s presentation of the trophy was described by some commentators as awkward. Infantino reportedly attempted to guide Trump away from the team as they lifted the trophy and confetti was launched. This incident mirrored a similar occurrence when Trump and Infantino presented the Club World Cup trophy to Chelsea. On that occasion, Infantino moved out of the frame, but Trump remained front and centre as the team celebrated.
Chelsea captain Reece James stated after the Club World Cup match that he was informed Trump would “present the trophy, and then exit the stage.” Player Cole Palmer expressed confusion regarding the incident. During the recent World Cup final, Trump was seen on video screens at the stadium after the US national anthem played, drawing scattered boos from sections of the crowd. He was also shown touching the trophy from his seat early in the match and conversing with Melania Trump in the 85th minute.
The hostile reception Trump had received at other sporting events was evident again when he descended to the field to present the World Cup trophy alongside Infantino and other heads of state, where the majority of the crowd booed and jeered. He presented medals to players, shaking hands and smiling, before holding the World Cup trophy with Infantino and presenting it to Spain’s captain, Rodri. Infantino then moved away. Rodri motioned Trump to the left of the podium as the Spanish celebrations began, and although Trump appeared to consider leaving, he remained at the edge of the celebrations, prompting Infantino to make a final plea for him to depart. However, Trump was still in the frame as Rodri lifted the trophy.
Controversies surrounding Trump and FIFA
Trump and Infantino have been involved in controversies throughout the World Cup. Some FIFA fans accused Infantino of aligning himself with Trump ahead of the United States hosting the tournament. Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter described the organisation as a “dictatorship” in February and accused Infantino of being “submissive” to Trump and seeking his favour.
A controversy arose after Trump reportedly called Infantino before FIFA lifted US striker Folarin Balogun’s red card suspension, though Trump has stated he did not instruct Infantino on what to do. Infantino has also faced accusations from some fans that the organisation has favoured Argentina and its star player, Lionel Messi. Accusations of FIFA favouring Argentina have existed for years, gaining momentum this year after Argentina’s controversial win over Egypt, which led the Egyptian team to question “consistency and fairness.”
Spain secured the World Cup title by defeating reigning champions Argentina on Sunday, scoring a single goal in overtime. This victory marked Spain’s first since 2010 and prevented Argentina from becoming the first team since Brazil in 1962 to win back-to-back titles. Argentina played the final stretch with one less player after Enzo Fernandez received a red card for tackling Spain’s Pau Cubarsí.
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Source: forbes.com
As NewsGB's Senior Football Correspondent, Jack Ferndale reports on the Premier League, the EFL and the England national side for readers across the country. He covered north-east football for a regional daily. He holds a degree in Sports Journalism from the University of Sunderland and completed an NCTJ diploma. Jack lives in Sunderland, where he watches lower-league football home and away. “The story is in the squad, not just the starting eleven.”
