FIFA committee to assess whether Peace Prize should be abolished — Al Jazeera

In Switzerland, following a FIFA Council meeting in Zurich, FIFA's Social Responsibility Committee was tasked with assessing the appropriateness of the existence of the FIFA Peace Prize. Several FIFA Council members demanded that the award cease to be presented or that its format be changed, Al Jazeera reports.

Recommendation to be prepared by December

According to British media, the issue was discussed at a FIFA Council meeting in Zurich on Thursday. Some representatives of FIFA member countries supported abolishing the prize, while others proposed no longer awarding it to politicians.

The 22-member Social Responsibility Committee must prepare a recommendation for the next FIFA Council meeting, scheduled for December 16 in Doha, Qatar. FIFA Vice President and Football Association of England President Debbie Hewitt said that the committee would consider the circumstances of the prize's establishment, the appropriateness of creating it, the procedure for presenting it, and the people who made this decision. It must also assess whether the award should be abolished or reformed.

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Trump was the first recipient

FIFA announced the establishment of the annual award, “FIFA Peace Prize — Football Unites the World,” on November 5. The organization stated that the distinction was intended to honor people for exceptional actions for peace. A month later, U.S. President Donald Trump became the first recipient of the prize.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino said that the Social Responsibility Committee would conduct an analysis and submit a proposal, while the decision would be made at the next FIFA Council meeting.

The Norwegian Football Association had also previously opposed the award. Its president, Lise Klaveness, called for the prize to be abolished in April, stating that presenting such distinctions was not part of FIFA's mandate. Human rights organization FairSquare filed a complaint with FIFA's Ethics Committee, accusing Infantino of breaching his duty of neutrality through his support for Trump.