It is time for FIFA to scrap the “Peace Prize” and for Infantino to resign.

Let’s be blunt about this. FIFA handing a “Peace Prize” to Donald Trump was beyond controversial. Instead, it looked like football sucking up to a man who is unworthy of the tiniest shred of respect. Now, what is happening in relation to Iran makes that decision look utterly ridiculous.

Because while FIFA talks about unity, diplomacy, and football bringing the world together, the reality around the next World Cup points in the opposite direction. Iran is being bombed by this supposed man of peace, and yet they are due in America in a handful of months to play in the tournament.

Even so, FIFA has denied their request to play their fixtures in Mexico.

Think about how extraordinary that is.

A World Cup co-hosted by the United States, and already one of the participating nations does not want to play there because of geopolitical tensions. Crucially, those tensions are not abstract. They follow a period of escalating conflict in the region, including military strikes, internal unrest, and a brutal crackdown on protests inside Iran.

At the same time, the United States has issued warnings about the safety of Iranian players travelling to the country. So this is the backdrop to FIFA’s grand narrative about peace. This is the world in which Gianni Infantino decided it was appropriate to create a “Peace Prize” and hand it to a political leader deeply involved in these tensions.

Put simply, it is absurd.

From the outset, the creation of the FIFA Peace Prize raised eyebrows. It launched with vague criteria, unclear governance, and more than a hint of political theatre. Then, inevitably, came the decision to award it to Trump.

Unsurprisingly, that move drew immediate criticism, including accusations that Infantino had breached FIFA’s own rules on political neutrality.

And that is the heart of this.

FIFA claims to be politically neutral. It says so repeatedly. However, it rarely practices what it preaches, even as it fines clubs for similar breaches. It presents itself as an organisation that stands above politics, that unites nations through football, and that creates a space where the game transcends conflict.

However, that position becomes impossible to defend when it hands awards to political figures in the middle of geopolitical disputes. Infantino cannot claim to act as a force for peace while aligning himself so closely with one side of a deeply polarised global situation.

Even if the Iran crisis had not fully escalated at the time of the award, other tensions were already visible. The Greenland situation had made headlines. The US military had carried out controversial operations. Trump himself had made increasingly aggressive noises about future action.

In that context, a senior FIFA figure should have known better.

Moreover, no one in that position should make such a decision and expect to retain credibility while the very tournament they promote becomes entangled in those same tensions.

Now look at where we are.

Iran wants to move its matches out of the United States. Concerns about safety, diplomacy, and logistics continue to grow. At the same time, calls for action in other conflicts, including those involving Israel, go unanswered.

Perhaps Netanyahu will get the Peace Prize next. At this rate, it would not even surprise anyone.

This is not football bringing people together. Instead, it is football being dragged directly into geopolitical conflict. Yet, in the middle of all that, FIFA still expects us to take seriously the idea that it is handing out “peace prizes.”

It would be funny if it were not so tone deaf.

Because the problem is not just the award itself. Rather, it is what the award represents.

It represents an organisation that has lost sight of its own role.

FIFA is not a diplomatic body. Thankfully, given some of the figures it now honours, that is probably for the best. It is not a political institution. Instead, it is a governing body for football. Its job is to organise competitions, regulate the game, and ensure fairness and integrity within the sport. That is it. That is all. It is not supposed to flatter political figures or dress that up as virtue.

The moment it starts handing out political endorsements and presenting them as awards, it crosses a line. Once that line is crossed, credibility disappears quickly.

That is exactly where we are now.

The Peace Prize looks like a vanity project. The decision to award it looks like political favouritism. And given everything unfolding around Iran and the World Cup, the timing makes the whole thing look even worse.

So yes, there is a case to be made. A strong one. FIFA should revoke that award. Not because of one isolated incident, but because of what it says about the organisation and the position it has placed itself in.

Beyond that, serious questions remain about Gianni Infantino himself.

His closeness to political leaders has been noted repeatedly. Likewise, critics have highlighted his willingness to blur the lines between sport and politics. This is not a one-off controversy. Instead, it is part of a pattern. And patterns like this erode trust over time.

Football does not need a governing body trying to act as a global statesman. Instead, it needs one that understands its limits. It needs one that protects the integrity of the game rather than inserting itself into political theatre. It certainly does not need one that flatters dangerous figures while pretending they represent peace.

FIFA has never been a credible organisation. It has lurched from one scandal to another for years. Corruption has flourished within its walls.

If it wants to be taken seriously, it must step back from this. It must revoke the award. It must reassert its neutrality and remember what it is actually supposed to be.

Because right now, the gap between FIFA’s words and reality is wider than ever.

And its decision looks indefensible.

If the word “peace” is to mean anything at all at FIFA the award to Trump cannot remain.

Nor can the man who gave it to him.

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