Following Spain’s World Cup victory over Argentina, images shared by FIFA on social media appeared to omit Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino. However, the White House subsequently released its own set of pictures featuring Trump prominently at the final.
The pictures posted on FIFA’s official social media accounts after the final, which depicted the Spanish team celebrating with the trophy at MetLife Stadium, seemed to be cropped to exclude Trump, who was standing near the team during their celebrations. A photo shared by the Spanish team on Instagram immediately after the match also did not include Trump, nor did a later 20-slide post showing the team celebrating.
Conversely, the White House shared six images from the final on social media, all of which included Trump. In two of these images, he was the sole person in focus, while only two of the pictures featured the Spanish team.
Trophy Presentation Incidents
Trump’s presentation of the trophy was described by some commentators as awkward. Infantino reportedly attempted to guide Trump away from the team as they lifted the trophy and confetti was launched. This was not the first time such an incident occurred; Trump was involved in a similar situation the previous year when he and Infantino presented the Club World Cup trophy to Chelsea.
During that event, Infantino moved out of the frame, but Trump remained front and centre as the team lifted the trophy. Chelsea’s captain, Reece James, stated after the game that he was informed Trump would “present the trophy, and then exit the stage.” Player Cole Palmer expressed confusion regarding the incident.
At the recent World Cup final, Trump was seen conversing with various dignitaries from a glassed-in suite, including Infantino, Spain’s King Felipe VI, Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney, and Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum. The US Secretary of State Marco Rubio was also in attendance. Trump was briefly shown on stadium video screens after the US national anthem, which was met with scattered boos from some in the crowd. He was also seen touching the trophy from his seat early in the match and conversing with Melania Trump.
The hostile reception Trump had received at other sporting events was evident when he descended to the field to present the World Cup trophy alongside Infantino and other heads of state, where a significant portion of the crowd booed and jeered. He presented medals to players, shaking hands and smiling, before holding the World Cup trophy with Infantino and presenting it to Spain’s captain, Rodri. Infantino then moved away.
Despite indications for him to leave, Trump remained near the celebrations. Rodri reportedly motioned for Trump to move to the left of the podium as the Spanish celebrations were about to begin. Trump appeared to consider descending the staircase but instead stood at the edge of the celebrations, seemingly unsure where to look. Infantino then reportedly made a final plea for him to leave, but it was too late as Rodri lifted the trophy with Trump still in the frame. He departed once the confetti began to fall.
Controversies and Accusations
Trump and Infantino faced controversy throughout the World Cup, with some fans accusing Infantino of aligning with Trump ahead of the United States hosting the tournament. Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter described the organisation as a “dictatorship” and accused Infantino of being “submissive” to Trump.
Controversy also arose after Trump reportedly called Infantino before FIFA lifted US striker Folarin Balogun’s red card suspension, though Trump denied telling Infantino what to do. Infantino has also faced accusations from some fans of favouring Argentina and its star player, Lionel Messi. Accusations of FIFA favouring Argentina have existed for years, gaining momentum after Argentina’s win over Egypt, which led the Egyptian team to question “consistency and fairness.”
Spain secured their first World Cup victory since 2010 by defeating reigning champions Argentina with a single goal in overtime on Sunday. This win prevented Argentina from becoming the first team since Brazil in 1962 to win back-to-back titles. Argentina played the final stretch with one less player after Enzo Fernandez received a red card for tackling Spain’s Pau Cubarsí.
The US team experienced a 4-1 defeat against Belgium in the last-16 stage of the World Cup after Trump’s call to Infantino regarding Balogun’s red card suspension. This incident occurred after Trump had previously attended a New York Knicks NBA finals game where the team lost their only game with him in attendance.
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Source: forbes.com
Adam Rutherford is a Senior Football Correspondent at News-UK. He spent his early career filing match reports across the North West. He focuses on the Premier League, the EFL and the England national side and is known for clear, deadline-driven reporting. He holds a degree in Sports Journalism from Manchester Metropolitan University and completed an NCTJ diploma. Now based in Manchester, he coaches a youth team and watches grassroots football. “Every transfer window hides a dozen real stories.”
