CORNERFLICK
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has confirmed that Donald Trump will present the World Cup trophy to the winning team after this year’s final. Infantino also said Trump will watch the match in person.
Trump has not spoken publicly about the tournament during the past two weeks and has not attended any games so far. The decision has revived criticism of Infantino’s close ties with the US government and with Trump himself.
A similar scene played out at the Club World Cup, when Trump appeared on stage for Chelsea’s trophy lift after their final win over Paris Saint-Germain. Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, who scored twice in that game, said afterwards that he knew Trump was there but did not realise he would be on the podium for the presentation.
The World Cup final now looks set to end with the same kind of image: the champions lifting the trophy with the host president on stage.