Follow-ups
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on Tuesday that US President Donald Trump will attend the World Cup final on July 19 at the New York-New Jersey stadium, where he will participate in presenting the trophy to the winning team.
Infantino reinforced his growing friendly relationship with the US president, awarding him in December the first edition of the FIFA Peace Prize he created, at a time when Trump sought to capitalize on the media momentum that sports provide, according to Reuters.
The trophy is scheduled to be jointly handed to the winning team's captain by Trump and Infantino, a move that departs from FIFA's usual protocol in recent editions.
We have no further comment beyond what we have already stated.
Infantino said on the program “Fox & Friends,” «We will be with the president, enjoying the final match and handing the trophy to the winner, of course, together.» He added that FIFA had no further comment beyond what he had already stated on air.
Trump faced boos and jeers when he handed the Club World Cup trophy to English club Chelsea last year, and he stood alongside the players as they lifted the trophy, in a scene that raised questions among some of the players, at the same stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Since then, Trump has attended the U.S. Open men's tennis final, the Ryder Cup golf tournament, and the NBA Finals in the greater New York area, which he has previously described as the place closest to his heart.
It is worth noting that in the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Infantino was the one who presented the trophy to the winning team on his own.
Infantino explained, «We will be with the President (Trump), enjoying the final match and handing the trophy to the winner together. We are together all the time.».
The decision to present the trophy jointly comes after the controversy that accompanied the Club World Cup trophy presentation ceremony to Chelsea following their victory over Paris Saint-Germain in New Jersey last summer.
The World Cup is currently being held in the United States, Canada and Mexico, with New York-New Jersey hosting the final match as part of eight scheduled matches there.
