White House Posts 6 Trump World Cup Photos as FIFA Images Appear to Crop Him Out

Q: What led FIFA to risk a diplomatic row by editing its official World Cup photos?

FIFA appears to have edited the photos to keep the focus on Spain’s title celebration and to limit the fallout from an awkward, politically charged trophy presentation. At MetLife Stadium, Donald Trump and FIFA president Gianni Infantino were booed when they appeared for the ceremony. Reports said Infantino tried to move Trump away as Spain lifted the trophy, but Trump stayed on stage, shook hands with players and remained in the middle of the celebration. That created images in which the winning team’s moment was visually dominated by two officials rather than the players. The decision also fits a broader pattern of sensitivity inside FIFA. Infantino has been under criticism for appearing too close to Trump ahead of the United States hosting major FIFA events, and FIFA has already faced scrutiny over neutrality and governance. In that context, prominently circulating images of Infantino and Trump at the center of Spain’s World Cup celebration would likely have intensified criticism that FIFA was politicizing the sport or privileging its leadership over the champions. So the likely calculation was reputational: FIFA judged that cropped images of Spain alone were less damaging than photos showing an unpopular, awkward on-stage moment. The risk of a diplomatic row came from the fact that removing a sitting U.S. president from official imagery is highly unusual, especially when the White House then released its own photos emphasizing Trump’s role.

3 articles · Updated · Forbes · Jul 20

Six photos the White House posted Monday from the World Cup final all prominently feature Donald Trump, after FIFA social posts celebrating Spain’s win appeared framed to exclude him and Gianni Infantino.
FIFA’s official images showed Spain lifting the trophy at MetLife Stadium without Trump, and Spain’s own immediate Instagram posts also omitted him despite his standing near the team during the celebration.
Trump’s role in the trophy presentation drew fresh scrutiny after Infantino appeared to steer him away from the stage, while both men were booed when shown on screen and entering the field.
Spain beat Argentina 1-0 in overtime for its first World Cup title since 2010, ending Argentina’s bid to become the first repeat champion since Brazil in 1962.