Post-match appearance at MetLife Stadium
During the recent World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, Donald Trump appeared on the podium alongside the victorious Spanish football team. This appearance followed Spain’s win over Argentina, where they secured the trophy with a single goal in overtime. The win marked Spain’s first since 2010 and prevented Argentina from achieving back-to-back titles.
Commentators described Trump’s presence during the trophy presentation as awkward. Fifa president Gianni Infantino reportedly attempted to guide Trump away from the team as they celebrated and lifted the trophy. This incident was not the first of its kind; Trump and Infantino had a similar interaction last year when presenting the Club World Cup trophy to Chelsea. On that occasion, Chelsea’s 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 event.
The crowd at the World Cup final reportedly booed and jeered Trump as he stepped onto the field for the trophy presentation. Comedian Seth Meyers commented on the situation, highlighting the irony of Trump celebrating with Spain, a country he had previously criticised. Less than a month prior to the final, Trump had referred to Spain as a “terrible partner in Nato” during a meeting with the Nato secretary general, stating, “I don’t want anything to do with Spain. Cut off all trade with Spain, please.”
Social media response and commentary
Following the final, images shared on Fifa’s official social media accounts depicting the Spanish team with the trophy at MetLife Stadium appeared to be cropped to exclude Trump and Gianni Infantino. Similarly, a photo posted by the Spanish team on Instagram immediately after the match, and a subsequent 20-slide post, did not feature Trump.
However, the White House later shared a series of 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 also featuring the Spanish team. Seth Meyers humorously suggested that Fifa’s president, despite leading an organisation he described as corrupt, seemed to view Trump’s presence as a “bad look.”
Meyers also noted that Spain’s captain, Rodrigo Hernández Cascante, known as Rodri, appeared to try and usher Trump offstage. The comedian further linked Trump’s presence at sporting events to a “sports curse,” citing instances where teams or individuals he supported or predicted to win ultimately lost. This included the NBA finals where the Knicks lost, the USA losing after Trump intervened to overturn a red card, and Argentina losing the World Cup despite Trump’s prediction of a victory for Lionel Messi.
Controversies surrounding Fifa and officiating
The World Cup itself was marked by officiating controversies. Trump and Infantino had previously drawn criticism, with some fans accusing Infantino of favouring Trump ahead of the United States hosting the tournament. Former Fifa president Sepp Blatter described the organisation as a “dictatorship” earlier in the year and accused Infantino of being “submissive” to Trump.
Controversy also arose after Trump reportedly called Infantino before Fifa lifted U.S. striker Folarin Balogun’s red card suspension, though Trump denied influencing the decision. Additionally, Infantino faced accusations from some fans that Fifa had favoured Argentina and its star player, Lionel Messi, for years. These accusations gained momentum after Argentina’s win over Egypt, which led the Egyptian team to question the “consistency and fairness” of the officiating. In the final match, Argentina was reduced to ten players after Enzo Fernandez received a red card for tackling Spain’s Pau Cubarsí.
Source: theguardian.com