Donald Trump has a “very peculiar, very odd” relationship with Gianni Infantino, according to football pundit Gary Lineker, who criticized the head of football’s governing body for creating and awarding the FIFA Peace Prize to the US president.
The former presenter-turned-podcast entrepreneur said he would “love to know the criteria” used to decide the award, which was presented in December .
“Who’s going to win it in four years’ time? Netanyahu?” Lineker said in an upcoming episode of The Mishal Husain Show ahead of the World Cup. “He seems to be cozying up to the president. Fair enough, but I thought that was a step too far,” the former player added, calling the football chief “Sycophant-ino.”
FIFA declined to comment on Lineker’s remarks. Infantino has previously defended the award , saying Trump deserved it.
The World Cup kicks off on Thursday, with an expanded tournament of 48 teams competing across the US, Canada and Mexico. The run-up to the tournament has been dogged by criticism of high ticket prices , while a Somali referee was blocked from entering the US.
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“One of the great joys of a World Cup [is] seeing all the fans turning up,” Lineker said. “Is it just going to be purely corporate? Are we pricing out real supporters?”
A FIFA spokesperson said the organization was “focused on ensuring fair access” and reinvesting revenue across member associations.
The former England captain has a fast-growing media empire through his Goalhanger podcast company, which produces seven of the 10 most listened-to podcasts in the UK on Apple.
He was the face of the BBC’s football coverage for decades before leaving last year after repeated disputes over his political comments and the broadcaster’s impartiality rules. His Rest is Football podcast will host a show on Netflix during the World Cup.
Netflix hasn’t guaranteed that he can criticize Trump on the show, Lineker said. “I’ve not asked them that question. I suspect that will be OK,” he said. “We’ll naturally discuss if ordinary fans can’t get in, or any issues going on outside.”
The Mishal Husain Show is a video podcast from Bloomberg Weekend. The full conversation with Lineker will be published on June 12.