FIFA Peace Prize given to Trump
Gianni Infantino awarded Donald Trump a FIFA Peace Prize, which Scaramucci described as a loyalty-program gesture to gain proximity to power.
Snapshot · The Rest Is Politics: US
202. Is Trump Rigging the World Cup?
Explore episode
Jul 6, 2026
Where this was said
Infantino's Loyalty Program: FIFA as a Favor Exchange
At 17:35 · chapter starts 17:17
Scaramucci doesn't have personal knowledge of Infantino, but the evidence speaks clearly: the FIFA Peace Prize handed to Trump, the socialising with Commerce Secretary Lutnick at games, and now the bending of a sporting decision to presidential will. This is not corruption in the conventional sense, Scaramucci argues — it's the ancient human desire to be inside 'the circle of significance' around the most powerful person in the room. [1] — Anthony Scaramucci "Gianni Infantino gave Trump the FIFA Peace Prize, hung out with his cabinet, and then facilitated the reversal of a red card after a presid…" 17:17 Katty Kay adds texture: she reached out to Gary Lineker, who texted back that 'Sycophantino has gone into hiding deep inside the bowels of Trump'. An unnamed FIFA official appearing on The Rest Is Football's Netflix show said that if the US soccer association was directly involved in the decision, he would resign. Meanwhile, in Brussels, Americans had already angered locals by commandeering a public park for a private 250th-anniversary party on a hot weekend — and then the red card reversal landed on top. The damage to America's image in Belgium, the site of the next US game, was already done.
Infantino's One-Client Loyalty Program
Gianni Infantino gave Trump the FIFA Peace Prize, hung out with his cabinet, and then facilitated the reversal of a red card after a presidential phone call. Scaramucci reads it simply: Infantino wants proximity to power and built a personal loyalty program with a client list of one.
The FIFA Red Card Aftermath in Brussels
US officials commandeered a public Brussels park for a private 250th-birthday party on a hot weekend, angering locals before Trump's FIFA call was even known. Then came the red card reversal. The combination has left European fans actively hostile to the American team — the opposite of the goodwill the home tournament was building.
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