April 28 – Norway’s Lise Klaveness has called for the FIFA Peace Prize to be abolished. Last December, FIFA boss Gianni Infantino awarded the maiden edition of the trophy to US President Donald Trump at the draw for the World Cup in Washington DC, prompting criticism.
Privately, lots of football officials slammed Infantino but Klaveness, the chair of the Norwegian FA, went on record Monday to demand the FIFA Peace Prize should not have a second edition.
“We (the NFF) want to see it abolished,” said Klaveness in a media call with the international press. “We don’t think it’s part of FIFA’s mandate to give such a prize, we think we have a Nobel Institute that does that job independently already.
“We think it’s important for football federations, confederations and also FIFA to try to avoid situations where this arm’s-length distance to state leaders is challenged, and these prizes will typically be very political if you don’t have real good instruments and experience to make them independent, with juries and criteria et cetera.
“That is full-time work, it’s so sensitive, I think from a resource angle, from a mandate angle, but most importantly from a governance angle I think it should be avoided also in the future.”
After receiving the Peace Prize, Trump attacked Venezuela and launched a war with Israel against Iran, but Infantino and FIFA doubled down, defending the award.
However, NGO FairSquare launched a complaint at the FIFA Ethics Committee over what the rights group called a breach of political neutrality by Infantino.
Klaveness said she will write a letter in support of the call for a FIFA Ethics Committee investigation. “There should be checks and balances on these issues and this complaint from FairSquare should be treated with a transparent timeline, and that the reasoning and the conclusion should be transparent,” explained Klaveness.
Article 15 of the FIFA Ethics Code imposes a duty of neutrality on Zurich’s officials. It reads: “In dealings with government institutions, national and international organisations, associations and groupings, persons bound by this Code shall, in addition to observing the basic rules of article 14, remain politically neutral, in accordance with the principles and objectives of FIFA, the confederations, associations, leagues and clubs, and generally act in a manner compatible with their function and integrity.”
FairSquare said: “The complaint primarily relates to four public statements made by Mr Infantino, but we would also request that the Ethics Committee investigate the circumstances surrounding the initial decision to introduce a FIFA Peace Prize and the subsequent awarding of the prize, and the conformity of these processes with FIFA’s procedural rules.”
Gianni Infantino has repeatedly endorsed Donald Trump’s policies. At the America Business Forum in November, Infantino said: “He does things. He does what he says. He says what he thinks. He actually says what many people think as well, but maybe don’t dare to say and that’s why he’s so successful. I have to say it and I’m a bit surprised sometimes when we read some negative comments.”
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at [email protected]