EFF Says “We Warned Him” Amid FIFA’s Infantino Accusations of Ethics Breach Over Trump Peace Prize
- The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) condemned FIFA’s decision to award United States President Donald Trump a peace award
- The EFF described the decision to award Trump as a reckless act that represents a direct violation of FIFA’s own regulations
- It is alleged that FIFA President Gianni Infantino breached the organisation’s ethics codes in the process
Justin Williams, a journalist at Briefly News since 2024, covers South Africa’s current affairs. Before joining Briefly News, he served as a writer and chief editor at Right for Education Africa’s South African chapter.
Source: UGC
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) have doubled down on their criticism of FIFA. This comes after fresh allegations surfaced that FIFA President Gianni Infantino breached the organisation’s ethics codes in the process that led to US President Donald Trump receiving the inaugural “FIFA Peace Prize.”
What did the EFF say?
In a statement shared on social media, the EFF accused FIFA of using football to “legitimise fascism, imperialism, or political manipulation,” arguing that Trump’s political record made him incompatible with any peace prize. The party said that FIFA had chosen to appease Trump and the geopolitical interests of the United States ahead of the 2026 World Cup in America.
The EFF slammed Trump and stated that the US president never represented peace but rather aggression, destabilisation and authoritarian conduct. The party also accused Trump of pressuring Canada, Iceland and several European countries by using tariffs to get his way. It said that the US president pulled the US out of important global agreements, harming peace efforts, climate work, and international cooperation.
The EFF stated that Trump worsened tensions with Iran, including the killing of General Qassem Soleimani, and caused instability across the Middle East. It added that Trump's record shows he violated international law and abused national sovereignty, and that calling him a ‘peace’ figure insults oppressed people and those who fight for justice and freedom.
Award under scrutiny
Trump was awarded the trophy at the 2026 FIFA World Cup Draw on 5 December 2024 at the Kennedy Centre in Washington, DC, in the United States of America (USA).
According to The New York Times, Infantino allegedly pushed through the award despite internal objections and concerns about violating FIFA’s political-neutrality rules. Senior officials reportedly questioned both the creation of the award and its timing ahead of the US-hosted 2026 World Cup.
“The allegations against Gianni Infantino show that FIFA’s leadership knowingly violated its own rules to flatter Donald Trump,” the EFF said.
The EFF further reiterated its longstanding calls for FIFA to remove the United States as the host of the 2026 tournament and said that the investigation adds to its earlier warnings that FIFA had compromised its governance principles to appease geopolitical interests.
Source: Getty Images
South Africans weigh in
Social media users shared their opinions regarding the EFF's statement.
@MaOabz_ said:
"Always 10 steps ahead."
@AnimeNerdSA said:
"Infantino doesn't even know there's a thing called EFF. This is useless. Focus on things you can change in South Africa."
@Thoko224 said:
"Trust the EFF to be so overly concerned about issues they have no interest in, yet in the meantime they can't even fix the mess and corruption they left in Ekurhuleni."
@DzunaniM68358 said:
"Are you not getting tired of these statements? I mean it is not like the American people will read them."
EFF labels Donald Trump a liar
Meanwhile, Briefly News earlier reported that the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has labelled Donald Trump as a liar following his meeting with Cyril Ramaphosa.
The President of South Africa and the President of the United States of America met in the White House to iron out issues.
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Source: Briefly News
