{"id":867,"date":"2026-06-02T11:10:54","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T11:10:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=867"},"modified":"2026-06-02T11:10:54","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T11:10:54","slug":"trumps-fingerprints-are-all-over-a-world-cup-disaster-in-the-making","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=867","title":{"rendered":"Trump&#8217;s fingerprints are all over a World Cup disaster in the making"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><p>The 2026 FIFA men\u2019s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico is almost upon us.<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=864\">MAGA candidate torn apart for making racist comment<\/a><\/p><div><p>This sporting spectacle \u2013 the largest ever World Cup, with 48 teams \u2013 will generate many memorable moments.<\/p><p>Mexico will get the tournament underway in its capital city on June 12, hosting South Africa.<\/p><p>Apart from the on-field action, much attention will be paid to the politics of the World Cup and to two major political players \u2013 US President Donald Trump and his FIFA counterpart Gianni Infantino.<\/p><p>But before a ball is kicked, an earlier media encounter is stubbornly lodged in the mind which sheds light on the cosy relationship between two presidents with much in common.<\/p><h2>An increasingly close relationship<\/h2><p>This is the bizarre sight of Trump receiving the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA)\u2019s inaugural Peace Prize from Infantino in December 2025:  <\/p><p>After Trump failed to receive his much-coveted and unashamedly demanded Nobel Peace Prize, Infantino jumped into the breach.<\/p><p>The two presidents make an odd couple in some respects. <\/p><p>Character assessments of Trump are, as he might put it, a dime a dozen. Outside his lovestruck MAGA support base, a survey of world opinion in his first presidency found him much disliked as the quintessential \u201cugly American\u201d. <\/p><p>It has arguably become worse since, in view of his violent language and apparent narcissistic God complex.<\/p><p>By contrast, Infantino is a suave multilingual Swiss-Italian lawyer following in the footsteps of compatriot Joseph Sepp Blatter \u2013 his former, more flamboyant FIFA boss. <\/p><p>Blatter resigned shortly after re-election as FIFA president under pressure after the infamous dawn raid by FBI agents in Zurich during the 2015 FIFA Congress. <\/p><p>Seven high-ranking FIFA officials were arrested, and a further seven elsewhere, in a grand exposure of FIFA\u2019s alleged corruption.<\/p><p>Just as Trump promised to \u201cdrain the swamp\u201d of the US establishment, Infantino sold himself publicly as the cleanskin reform candidate ready to take on internal corruption and clean up FIFA.<\/p><p>But both Trump and Infantino have used the power of their presidencies to make major decisions with minimal consultation, while spreading considerable largesse around those who help keep them in their respective offices.<\/p><h2>How the relationship blossomed<\/h2><p>Infantino turned up the dial on the approach first adopted by world leaders \u2013 though now noticeably muted \u2013 of flattering and appeasing Trump.  <\/p><p>Regularly attending the White House and other spaces around the world alongside Trump, in February 2026 Infantino committed FIFA to a strategic partnership with Trump\u2019s United Nations-supplanting Board of Peace.<\/p><p>During the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup held in the US, Infantino watched with almost parental indulgence as Trump gatecrashed the on-field celebrations of winners Chelsea.<\/p><p>Infantino no doubt believes he must stick to his erratic primary host like glue for the World Cup to succeed. <\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=862\">Admin\u2019s charm offensive can\u2019t fix Trump\u2019s damage \u2014it\u2019s \u2018too little, too late\u2019<\/a><\/p><p>It certainly has many potential flashpoints: Trump has declared co-host Canada should be incorporated as the 51st state of the US and insulted the other host, Mexico, as a land of criminals and rapists.<\/p><p>Trump\u2019s administration has banned or imposed visa restrictions on fans from four participating nations and another 15 countries. <\/p><p>He previously threatened to move games from Democrat cities that he deems dangerous, and there are concerns about cost inflation for fans and the intimidating presence of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in and around stadiums.<\/p><p>These problems were compounded when, three months out from the World Cup, the US and Israel attacked Iran, prompting the Iranian team\u2019s threatened withdrawal.  <\/p><p>Apart from the resultant greater security threat to the tournament, already difficult and expensive international travel to the US became more so.<\/p><h2>Infantino\u2019s illiberal friends<\/h2><p>Receding democracy in Trump\u2019s America is, though, familiar terrain for Infantino.  <\/p><p>Since Infantino\u2019s election in February 2016, soon after Trump\u2019s first inauguration, he has overseen men\u2019s World Cups hosted by a succession of illiberal nations.  <\/p><p>After the 2018 edition in Russia, President Vladimir Putin presented him with that country\u2019s Order of Friendship medal after Infantino called it \u201cthe best World Cup ever\u201d.<\/p><p>Infantino lived in Qatar in the lead-up to its 2022 tournament, cultivating his relationship with that country\u2019s Emir, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. He fended off as hypocritical Western criticisms of the conditions and deaths of the migrant workers who built the stadiums.<\/p><p>In a notorious speech on the eve of the tournament that had echoes of Trumpian megalomania, Infantino likened his own experience of minority discrimination to that of people who are Qatari, Arabic, African, gay, disabled, or migrant workers.<\/p><p>Infantino then engineered the future hosting of the tournament in three confederations in 2030 \u2013 Europe, Africa and South America. This enabled an early return to the Middle East in 2034 in another illiberal nation, Saudi Arabia, where he has built a close relationship with its ruler Mohammed bin Salman.<\/p><p>In light of these developments, the Trump-Infantino alliance seems less remarkable.It appears Infantino is dealing with Trump as just another king-like authoritarian leader from an affluent country keen to host FIFA\u2019s most lucrative event.<\/p><p>Although often criticised as sportswashing, it is important not to underplay the naked economic interests at play.<\/p><p>Behind their mutual love of pomp, ceremony and personal awards, the tight embrace of Trump and Infantino is supercharged by soccer\u2019s financial goalscoring record.<\/p><p>Both were elected with the promise of making other people richer. They have certainly done well for themselves, but the 2026 World Cup is likely to reveal a deeper ethical poverty at the heart of the world game.\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" alt=\"The Conversation\" class=\"wp-image-866\" src=\"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/7a1290ec750212c0cf53b360aa565a9d.gif\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/p> <p>David Rowe, Emeritus Professor of Cultural Research, Institute for Culture and Society, <em>Western Sydney University<\/em><\/p> <p>This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=860\">Inside the real conspiracy behind MAGA\u2019s \u2018gay motorcycle\u2019 scare<\/a><\/p><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The 2026 FIFA men\u2019s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico is almost upon us.This sporting spectacle \u2013 the largest ever World Cup, with 48 teams \u2013 will generate many memorable moments.Mexico will get the tournament underway in its capital city on June 12, hosting South Africa.Apart from t&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":865,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-867","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Trump&#039;s fingerprints are all over a World Cup disaster in the making - Next Address America<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=867\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Trump&#039;s fingerprints are all over a World Cup disaster in the making - Next Address America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The 2026 FIFA men\u2019s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico is almost upon us.This sporting spectacle \u2013 the largest ever World Cup, with 48 teams \u2013 will generate many memorable moments.Mexico will get the tournament underway in its capital city on June 12, hosting South Africa.Apart from t...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=867\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Next Address America\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-02T11:10:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/7a1290ec750212c0cf53b360aa565a9d.gif\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/gif\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/?p=867#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/?p=867\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a4840e0eb2094ec31aed2107d53108b3\"},\"headline\":\"Trump&#8217;s fingerprints are all over a World Cup disaster in the making\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-02T11:10:54+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/?p=867\"},\"wordCount\":985,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/?p=867#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/7624259c0fe7a1c62516b43cc125c87f.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/?p=867#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/?p=867\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/?p=867\",\"name\":\"Trump's fingerprints are all over a World Cup disaster in the making - Next Address America\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/?p=867#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/?p=867#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/7624259c0fe7a1c62516b43cc125c87f.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-02T11:10:54+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a4840e0eb2094ec31aed2107d53108b3\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/?p=867#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/?p=867\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/?p=867#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/7624259c0fe7a1c62516b43cc125c87f.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/7624259c0fe7a1c62516b43cc125c87f.webp\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":600},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/?p=867#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Trump&#8217;s fingerprints are all over a World Cup disaster in the making\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Next Address America\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a4840e0eb2094ec31aed2107d53108b3\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextaddressamerica.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Trump's fingerprints are all over a World Cup disaster in the making - Next Address America","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=867","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Trump's fingerprints are all over a World Cup disaster in the making - Next Address America","og_description":"The 2026 FIFA men\u2019s World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico is almost upon us.This sporting spectacle \u2013 the largest ever World Cup, with 48 teams \u2013 will generate many memorable moments.Mexico will get the tournament underway in its capital city on June 12, hosting South Africa.Apart from t...","og_url":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=867","og_site_name":"Next Address America","article_published_time":"2026-06-02T11:10:54+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1,"height":1,"url":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/7a1290ec750212c0cf53b360aa565a9d.gif","type":"image\/gif"}],"author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=867#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=867"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a4840e0eb2094ec31aed2107d53108b3"},"headline":"Trump&#8217;s fingerprints are all over a World Cup disaster in the making","datePublished":"2026-06-02T11:10:54+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=867"},"wordCount":985,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=867#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/7624259c0fe7a1c62516b43cc125c87f.webp","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=867#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=867","url":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=867","name":"Trump's fingerprints are all over a World Cup disaster in the making - Next Address America","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=867#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=867#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/7624259c0fe7a1c62516b43cc125c87f.webp","datePublished":"2026-06-02T11:10:54+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a4840e0eb2094ec31aed2107d53108b3"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=867#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=867"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=867#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/7624259c0fe7a1c62516b43cc125c87f.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/7624259c0fe7a1c62516b43cc125c87f.webp","width":1200,"height":600},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?p=867#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Trump&#8217;s fingerprints are all over a World Cup disaster in the making"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/","name":"Next Address America","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/#\/schema\/person\/a4840e0eb2094ec31aed2107d53108b3","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com"],"url":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/867","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=867"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/867\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/865"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=867"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=867"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextaddressamerica.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=867"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}