Featured Image Credit: Chris Brunskill/Fantasista/Getty
Topics: Donald Trump, Football, Politics, Sport, US News, World News
Liv Bridge
Topics: Donald Trump, Football, Politics, Sport, US News, World News
Donald Trump is set to keep the FIFA Club World Cup trophy while the winning team has no other choice but to take home a replica.
The president of the United States is no stranger to receiving lavish gifts, from his so-called 'flying palace' to now the 24-carat gold-plated Tiffany & Co FIFA trophy.
The FIFA Club World Cup Championship came to an end on Sunday (July 13) in New Jersey's MetLife stadium which saw English team Chelsea thrash European champions Paris Saint-Germain.
Trump then handed the Chelsea team their winners' medals and saw they had the Club World Cup trophy for their famed celebratory trophy lift which he rather strangely ended up being a part of, much to the players' confusion.
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Now, however, it has been revealed the gigantic prize held up by the London club's captain, Reece James, was a replica as football's governing body has let the POTUS deck out the Oval Office with the original as an ornament.
The trophy, which features a central disc with three rotating outer rings, is estimated to have cost around $230,000 to make and would most likely end up in the National Archives if Trump really is allowed to keep the award for himself.
Trump explained in a mid-game conversation with DAZN that he ended up with the OG as a gift.
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"They [FIFA] said: ‘Could you hold this trophy for a little while?’ We put it in the Oval Office and then I said: ‘When are you going to pick up the trophy’, and [FIFA President Gianni Infantino] said: ‘We’re never going to pick it up, you can have it forever in the Oval Office'," Trump said.
It was here that the POTUS also revealed to reporter Emily Austin that Chelsea actually received a copy of the original trophy for winning the tournament, meaning the team didn't even get to touch the real thing.
“And they actually made a new one [for Chelsea] but right now [the original] is in the Oval,” he said.
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The news comes as Trump hit headlines worldwide for the apparent cringe moment with the trophy lift, where usually winners celebrate alongside their teammates.
Lip reading expert Nicola Hickling also said on behalf of OLBG that midfielder Cole Palmer looked 'visibly confused' by Trump's decision to stand with the team amid the celebratory moment, prompting him to turn and ask: “Can you ask him to move this way?... wait, what’s going on?”
The pro also said she thought Trump indicated he wanted to 'hold the trophy' with the captain, prompting James to say: "I got this."
Hickling then said Trump turned to goalkeeper Robert Sanchez and said: "What? Let's go," for the lift.
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After the game, Palmer admitted that he was caught off guard by Trump's presence, saying: "I knew he was going to be there, but I didn't know he was going be on the stand where we lift the trophy. So, I was a bit confused."
According to The Athletic, Trump also bagged himself his own golden medal after FIFA boss Infantino reportedly put it to one side for his buddy.
It appears Infantino might be trying to keep Trump sweet with the gifts, after having visited Washington DC a whopping 10 times already since he returned to office in January and having previously stated that close collaboration with the US president is 'absolutely crucial' to the success of the 2026 World Cup, hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico.
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FIFA also confirmed that its employees in New York will soon be moving to a new office in Trump Tower, Manhattan, while the president didn't rule out the possibility of signing an executive order to have soccer officially deemed 'football' in the US.