Washington, Dec. 6 – While President Donald Trump was receiving the FIFA Peace Award at the FIFA World Cup draw, his administration's aggressive immigration control raids continued in the United States.
The recognition, introduced by FIFA and to be awarded annually to figures who, in its view, have performed exceptional and extraordinary work for peace and strived to unite people worldwide, was part of the program here at the draw held the evening before at the Kennedy Center in this capital.
Gianni Infantino, FIFA President, presented the award to Trump during a gala also attended by Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum and Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney.
The FIFA draw, which determined the 12 groups that will compete in the World Cup from June 11 to July 19 upcoming in three venues: United States, Mexico, and Canada, was one of the highlighted topics in this week's media agenda concluding this Saturday.
The Republican leader indicated his desire to permanently stop immigration from poor countries and especially criticized Afghans and Somalis.
Some of the personalities participating in the draw included comedian Kevin Hart, model and host Heidi Klum, NFL superstar Tom Brady, ice hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, and the iconic former Lakers player Shaquille O’Neal.
Four countries will debut in the World Cup this summer. Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan, and Uzbekistan secured their spots in the biggest football tournament. Curacao, an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, is the smallest nation by population ever to qualify for the World Cup.
The number of debutants could increase after the qualifying matches in March. New Caledonia, Suriname, Kosovo, and Albania are also in the running.
Unlike other sports draws and lotteries (except the NFL), the FIFA World Cup draw is a spectacle in itself that brings fans together in local bars to watch and cheer on the awaited matchups.
In Washington, locals invited fans early to drink and watch the draw for an event that is less than 200 days away from kickoff.
Additionally, Trump introduced the “FIFA Pass” for travelers to the World Cup to obtain their visas more quickly; however, this week the Department of Homeland Security secretary, Kristi Noem, said the federal government would expand travel restrictions from 19 to more than 30 countries. Noem anticipated on Monday that she would recommend to Trump a "total travel ban to all countries that have been flooding our nation with killers, parasites, and welfare addicts."
