Top chiefs want Gianni Infantino to scrap FIFA Peace Prize after 2025 Trump controversy

On October 16, 2026, Gianni Infantino came under fresh pressure over the FIFA Peace Prize he created and handed to President Donald Trump. As reported by The Guardian, top figures on the FIFA Council told him during Thursday's meeting in Zurich to scrap the award or strip it of its political character. Several council members pushed for full abolition. Others argued the prize should be depoliticized so it no longer goes to politicians.

Gianni Infantino opened the session by saying the matter had already been passed to FIFA's football social responsibility committee. The group is due to examine the prize and put forward a recommendation before the next council meeting, set for December 16 in Doha.

The prize first appeared in November 2025. FIFA said it would recognize people who take exceptional steps for peace and bring others together. On 5 December that year, at the World Cup draw in Washington, DC, Gianni Infantino gave President Donald Trump the inaugural award. He presented a golden trophy, a medal and a certificate.

Gianni Infantino told the president,

"This is your prize. This is your peace prize."

Donald Trump replied that it was:

"truly one of the great honours of my life."

How the winner was chosen has never been explained in public. The FIFA Council was not consulted before the prize was invented or before Trump received it. Article two of the FIFA statutes bars political or governmental interference in football. That rule helped fuel the reaction inside the organization after the award went to a sitting leader.

As reported by The Guardian, many council members now view the prize as damaged by its link to Donald Trump. Some worry he could object if he dislikes the next recipient and create a diplomatic problem for the organization.

One council member told The Guardian the most likely outcome is a redesign. The prize would become an honor for someone working inside football who has done strong work on social harmony and responsibility. A clear rule would stop it going to any politician. The 22-person social responsibility committee has many members from countries that back Gianni Infantino.

Full abolition could therefore be hard to achieve, as it would look like a personal setback for him. Still, there is broad agreement that the current version cannot stay as it is. The committee is expected to set firm rules and a transparent way of choosing future winners if the prize continues in some form.

Gianni Infantino addresses council on multiple controversies

According to the Associated Press, the Zurich meeting ran for three and a half hours. Gianni Infantino apologized for errors in how he handled communication and consultation on the FIFA Forward Enterprise project. That plan involved selling a stake in World Cup commercial rights to private investors. It was launched and then abandoned in July after heavy opposition. He told the council,

"I apologized for the mistakes that we made in relation to the communication and consultation process related to the FIFA Forward Enterprise project, which then led to many consequences."

European members left unsatisfied. They had wanted documents and clearer answers. Debbie Hewitt, who chairs the English Football Association and serves as a FIFA vice-president, spoke to reporters after the meeting. She said,

"The man has to answer those questions. If he doesn't answer those questions, no, he is not fit to be the FIFA president."

As reported by the Associated Press, Bernd Neuendorf, the German football leader and one of the UEFA representatives on the 37-member council, said the meeting provided no satisfactory answers. He added that FIFA needs a person of integrity who can restore the association's reputation, which has undoubtedly been lost.

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As the outlet reported, the discussion also covered the decision to suspend a one-match ban on US forward Folarin Balogun during the World Cup after Trump contacted Infantino. Infantino asked remaining questions to be sent in writing before the November 18 deadline for nominating a challenger ahead of the March presidential election.

Support for him remains solid in several regions outside Europe. The Peace Prize review sits alongside these other checks on decisions taken under his leadership. FIFA has said it will share further details in December.

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