Myanmar junta cronies find key role behind new FIFA peace prize
FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced a new peace prize last month but failed to reveal who would be on the shortlist, sparking concerns over potential bias.
The timing of the announcement raised eyebrows, with Donald Trump brooding about missing out on the Nobel Peace Prize around the same time. Shortly before Infantino was due to meet Trump in Miami, he made his announcement.
The lack of information about how the inaugural winner would be chosen only added fuel to the fire, leading some to wonder if it was a sop to Trump.
However, according to The Guardian, Infantino's peace prize is seen internally as its version of UEFA President Aleksander Δeferin's presidential award. This suggests that Infantino has significant influence over the selection process.
A key role in devising the winner selection process is attributed to Zaw Zaw, a 59-year-old president of the Myanmar football federation for two decades. He and his company, Max Myanmar, were subject to EU and US economic sanctions between 2009 and 2016.
The US State Department described Zaw Zaw as one of the "cronies" of Myanmar's brutal military junta in 2009. The description was made at a time when Zaw Zaw had interests in gems, cement, and bottling plants, as well as being chair of the Myanmar football federation and owner of Delta United.
FIFA has been accused of failing to address structural problems that lead to corruption, with some arguing that Infantino's close relationship with powerful leaders, such as Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman, is a prime example.
Stephen Cockburn, Amnesty International's head of labour rights and sport, noted that while FIFA claims to prioritize human rights considerations, finance and power appear to remain the driving force behind their decision-making.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced a new peace prize last month but failed to reveal who would be on the shortlist, sparking concerns over potential bias.
The timing of the announcement raised eyebrows, with Donald Trump brooding about missing out on the Nobel Peace Prize around the same time. Shortly before Infantino was due to meet Trump in Miami, he made his announcement.
The lack of information about how the inaugural winner would be chosen only added fuel to the fire, leading some to wonder if it was a sop to Trump.
However, according to The Guardian, Infantino's peace prize is seen internally as its version of UEFA President Aleksander Δeferin's presidential award. This suggests that Infantino has significant influence over the selection process.
A key role in devising the winner selection process is attributed to Zaw Zaw, a 59-year-old president of the Myanmar football federation for two decades. He and his company, Max Myanmar, were subject to EU and US economic sanctions between 2009 and 2016.
The US State Department described Zaw Zaw as one of the "cronies" of Myanmar's brutal military junta in 2009. The description was made at a time when Zaw Zaw had interests in gems, cement, and bottling plants, as well as being chair of the Myanmar football federation and owner of Delta United.
FIFA has been accused of failing to address structural problems that lead to corruption, with some arguing that Infantino's close relationship with powerful leaders, such as Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman, is a prime example.
Stephen Cockburn, Amnesty International's head of labour rights and sport, noted that while FIFA claims to prioritize human rights considerations, finance and power appear to remain the driving force behind their decision-making.
. I mean, Zaw Zaw being part of the selection process is a major red flag 
. Like, he's got ties to Myanmar's military junta and was even under EU & US sanctions back in the day 
. It doesn't exactly scream "peace" to me 
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. Gianni Infantino's close relationships with leaders like Mohammed bin Salman don't exactly fill me with confidence 
.
. Can they really separate personal interests from what's best for peace and humanity? 
FIFA just announced a new peace prize and it's basically just an excuse for Gianni Infantino to curry favor with Trump... or at least his cronies 
. But what's really worrying is that Zaw Zaw, a longtime associate of Myanmar's military junta, has been given a key role in choosing the winner. 
Like, shouldn't someone with ties to human rights atrocities be excluded from this kind of thing? And don't even get me started on Infantino's relationship with Saudi Arabia... it's like FIFA is just one big love fest for authoritarian leaders 
. It's no wonder Amnesty International thinks finance and power are driving their decisions 
. I mean, I get it, FIFA needs some powerful friends, but come on, can't they do better than this? 
. The whole thing just reeks of nepotism and influence peddling - I mean, come on, a guy with ties to Myanmar's military junta gets to play a major role in determining the winner? That's not exactly what I'd call "peaceful" 
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. First off, who comes up with the shortlist? It's like they're just gonna hand out awards to whoever Infantino is buddies with 
. And then we find out that Zaw Zaw, the head of the Myanmar football federation, has ties to some super questionable people 
. And don't even get me started on Infantino's relationship with powerful leaders... it's like he's got a direct line to the top 
. Can't we just have an impartial, transparent process for once? 
And it seems like Infantino is just using this peace prize as a way to butter up influential people like Trump, rather than genuinely promoting human rights and progress. 
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Not just some behind-the-scenes puppet master pulling strings 
. I need to know that FIFA's prioritizing human rights, not just lining their own pockets 
.
meanwhile zaw zaw is literally a known cronie of myanmar's brutal military junta and he gets to play a key role in choosing the winner of this prize? like what are we supposed to believe here? 
FIFA needs to do a better job of addressing corruption and prioritizing human rights instead of just lining up with powerful leaders who don't exactly have clean records 
. I'm worried that this prize is going to be more about politics than actual human rights or peace initiatives 
. We need to make sure that the people behind this initiative are genuinely committed to making a positive impact on the world 
.
. On one hand, it sounds really cool and would be amazing to see someone who's actually making a difference in the world get recognized 
. But on the other hand, Zaw Zaw being part of the selection process? Like, isn't he friends with the Myanmar military junta, which is pretty bad news? 
It feels like FIFA is trying to curry favor with people they shouldn't be so close to 
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And don't even get me started on Infantino's buddies with Saudi Arabia 
