White House includes Trump in World Cup photos after FIFA crops him out
Following Spain’s World Cup victory over Argentina, images shared by FIFA’s official social media accounts appeared to exclude Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino from celebrations. These photos, depicting the Spanish team with the trophy at MetLife Stadium, seemed to be cropped to remove Trump, who was near the team during their celebration. Similarly, a photo posted by the Spanish team on Instagram immediately after the match, and a subsequent 20-slide post, also did not feature Trump.
However, the White House later shared six pictures from the final on social media, all of which prominently included Trump. In two of these images, Trump was the sole person in focus, with only two pictures featuring the Spanish team. This follows a similar incident from the previous year when Trump and Infantino presented the Club World Cup trophy to Chelsea.
Trophy Presentation Incidents
During the Club World Cup trophy presentation to Chelsea, Trump reportedly remained front and centre while the team lifted the trophy, even as Infantino moved out of the frame. Chelsea captain Reece James stated he was informed Trump would present the trophy and then exit the stage, while player Cole Palmer expressed confusion over the incident. This pattern was repeated at the recent World Cup final.
Commentators described Trump’s presentation of the World Cup trophy as awkward, with Infantino seemingly attempting to guide Trump away from the team as they celebrated and confetti was launched. Despite this, Trump remained in the frame during Spain’s celebrations. Defender Marc Cucurella, who was present at both the Club World Cup and World Cup trophy lifts, witnessed Trump’s continued presence on both occasions.
Trump was seen conversing with Infantino and other dignitaries, including Spain’s King Felipe VI, Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney, and Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum, from a glassed-in suite during the match. He was also seen touching the trophy from his seat in the early stages of the match and conversing with Melania Trump in the 85th minute. Upon descending to the field for the trophy presentation, Trump was met with boos and jeers from a significant portion of the crowd, a reaction he had also received at other sporting events.
After presenting medals to the players alongside other dignitaries, Trump and Infantino held the World Cup trophy together before presenting it to Spain’s captain, Rodri. Infantino then ducked away, but Trump remained. 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 leaving but instead stayed at the edge of the celebrations, prompting Infantino to make a final plea for him to depart. However, it was too late, and Trump was visible in the frame as Rodri lifted the trophy.
Controversies Surrounding FIFA and Trump
Trump and Infantino have been involved in controversies throughout the World Cup. Some FIFA fans have accused Infantino of aligning with Trump ahead of the United States hosting the tournament. Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter described the organisation as a “dictatorship” in February, alleging that Infantino was “submissive” to and currying favour with Trump.
A controversy also arose after Trump reportedly called Infantino before FIFA lifted U.S. striker Folarin Balogun’s red card suspension, although Trump has stated he did not instruct Infantino on 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 controversial win over Egypt, which led the Egyptian team to question the “consistency and fairness” of officiating.
Spain secured their first World Cup title since 2010 by defeating reigning champions Argentina with a single goal in overtime. This victory 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.
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Source: forbes.com
As News GB's Senior Football Correspondent, Lewis Hartnell reports on the Premier League, the EFL and the England national side for readers across the country. He reported on south-coast football for a regional title. He holds a degree in Sports Journalism from Solent University and completed an NCTJ diploma. Lewis lives in Southampton, where he watches youth football and follows the transfer market. “The week's training ground decides the weekend's headlines.”
