Revealed: Myanmar junta 'crony' given key role behind Fifa peace prize

Fifa's new peace prize has sparked concerns over its impartiality, with many questioning the involvement of a 'crony' from Myanmar's military regime.

The peace prize was announced by Fifa president Gianni Infantino last month, citing individuals who "help unite people in peace through unwavering commitment and special actions". The inaugural winner is set to be announced on December 5 in Washington.

Infantino had already been accused of breaching Fifa's neutrality rules during an appearance with US President Donald Trump at a Gaza peace summit. Trump's Nobel Peace Prize hopes were recently derailed, with Infantino seemingly keen to cosy up to him as well as Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman.

Fifa has long struggled with issues of patronage and corruption, with many critics arguing that the governing body prioritises power and finance over human rights.

A new "social responsibility" committee within Fifa is handling the peace prize process, but some have raised concerns about its composition. Zaw Zaw, a 59-year-old Myanmar football federation president who has been a key figure in Fifa since 2002, chairs the committee.

Zaw Zaw was a subject of EU and US economic sanctions between 2009 and 2016 due to his ties to Myanmar's military regime. Critics argue that this raises questions about his impartiality in overseeing the peace prize process.

Fifa has dismissed concerns over its handling of human rights issues, with Infantino citing "lip service" and "structures" suggesting a commitment to transparency and accountability. However, critics argue that these measures are merely cosmetic, failing to address deep-seated problems within the governing body.

I'm feeling kinda skeptical about this new peace prize thingy . I mean, Fifa's got a history of being kinda... cozy with certain governments and individuals. And now they're handing out a prize that could be seen as just another way to curry favor with whoever's in power? It doesn't exactly fill me with confidence.

And yeah, Zaw Zaw being the head of this committee? That's a major red flag . I'm not saying he's inherently bad, but given his past connections to Myanmar's military regime... it's hard to see how he'd be totally impartial when making decisions about who gets the prize.

I think what really bothers me is that Fifa's been trying to whitewash its own issues with corruption and patronage, rather than actually doing something concrete to address them . So now they're just handing out a prize and pretending like everything's fine? It feels like more of the same old thing, but with a PR spin .

idk how fifa can even claim to be impartial with this new peace prize thingy . zaw zaw's ties to myanmar's military regime is super suspicious . i mean, i get it, fifa needs people with connections to help them make decisions, but not when those decisions affect human rights issues .

i'm all for promoting peace and unity, but if the guy in charge of the prize process has a history of working with the military regime that's behind some major human rights abuses... it's hard to trust his judgment . fifa needs to do better than just throwing money at problems . they need to actually listen to what people are saying and make real changes .

i'm keeping an eye on this one, though . wanna see how it all plays out and if fifa can really deliver on their promise of promoting peace through actions, not just words .

I mean come on , who doesn't think Zaw Zaw is perfect for this job? He's got experience and all that jazz. And I'm sure his, uh, "ties" to Myanmar's military regime won't affect his judgment at all . It's not like he's got a history of being involved in some pretty shady stuff or anything . And what's the big deal about FIFA having a committee that's handling human rights? That sounds super transparent and accountable to me . Like, who needs actual accountability when you've got a bunch of lip service? Those EU and US economic sanctions are just a big overreaction, if you ask me . And as for the Nobel Peace Prize hopes being derailed by Trump... yeah, that's totally Trump's fault .

I'm so done with Fifa's peace prize announcement . The whole thing reeks of cronyism IMHO. I mean, who appoints a Myanmar military regime cronie like Zaw Zaw to oversee a "peace" prize? It's just mind-boggling. And don't even get me started on Infantino trying to schmooze with Trump and Saudi Arabia's bigwigs . It's all about Fifa prioritizing its own interests over human rights, you know? The whole thing feels like a PR stunt to salvage their reputation after years of scandals .

And what really grinds my gears is that they're trying to spin this as some sort of "social responsibility" initiative . Like, no, Fifa's track record speaks for itself. You can't just slap on a new committee and call it a day when the underlying issues are so deeply ingrained . We need real change, not just some token gestures to make everyone feel good about themselves . This whole thing needs a serious shake-up .

omg i'm like totally worried about this peace prize thing fifa is doing it just feels so fake especially with zaw zaw on the committee he's got ties to myanmar's military regime and stuff plus infantino is always trying to play nice with trump and saudi arabia's ruler and i'm like what about human rights? shouldn't fifa be all about that instead of just giving out a prize to whoever seems cool at the moment i know they say they're being more transparent but it sounds like just lip service to me

I'm low-key worried about this peace prize thingy... Like, what's the real motive here? Is it just some random PR stunt or is there actually a genuine effort to promote unity and peace? I think it's weird that Gianni Infantino is pushing for this prize after being all cozy with Trump and bin Salman... like, how can we trust someone who's already been accused of bias?

And have you seen the committee handling this thing? Zaw Zaw from Myanmar's military regime? That's just a huge red flag right there . I mean, don't get me wrong, he might be doing some good work in football or whatever, but come on... shouldn't someone with those ties be excluded from something like this?

I think Fifa needs to do a lot more than just set up a committee and claim it's all transparent and accountable . They need to actually listen to criticism and make real changes. This whole thing feels like just another example of the powers that be trying to spin a positive narrative when it's really just some dodgy politics

omg, fifa's peace prize is like totally sus lol what's good with awning a crony from myanmar's military regime?? it's like fifa wants 2 b seen as buddies w/ trump n saudi arabia's ruler too and let's be real, fifa's got some major probs w/ human rights they're all about power n finance over people's lives zaw zaw's history is super shady too eu n us sanctions are like a major red flag can't fifa just get its act together??

come on fifa you can do better than this i mean seriously how can u award a peace prize when one of the members of the committee has ties to myanmar's military regime? that's just not right it smells like cronyism and corruption all over again. u need to be more transparent about ur process and make sure that the people behind this prize are actually fighting for peace, not just lining their pockets with cash and power

idk why fifa needs another prize, especially one that's gonna be all about peace . seems like it's just an excuse for them to get involved in politics and stuff. and now they're giving out a prize to some dude from myanmar who's got ties to the military? that's not exactly what i'd call impartial . can't help but wonder if this is all just about power and finance... like, fifa's always struggled with those issues

I'm getting mixed vibes on this new peace prize thing from Fifa . On one hand, it's awesome they're trying to recognize people who help unite ppl in peace. But with Zaw Zaw from Myanmar's military regime involved in the process, it's hard not to question his impartiality . I mean, he was under EU and US sanctions back in 2009-2016 for his ties to the regime. Not exactly a clean slate, if u ask me . And what about the whole thing with Gianni Infantino cozies up to Trump and Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler? It just seems like Fifa's still got some work to do on its neutrality . Still, I'm gonna keep an eye on this one... [https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...-over-gianni-infantino-suspicions-of-cronyism]

I'm really worried about this new peace prize thingy. I mean, who is Zaw Zaw, right? He's got ties to Myanmar's military regime and has been under economic sanctions for years... it doesn't exactly scream "impartial" to me . And with Gianni Infantino being buddies with Trump and Saudi Arabia's royal family, it just feels like more politicking than actual change. Fifa needs to get its act together if they wanna make a real difference in promoting peace around the world . Can't we do better than this?

I'm not sure if Fifa's new peace prize is just going to be another PR stunt . I mean, Gianni Infantino trying to cozy up with Trump and MBS is already raising eyebrows. And now this Myanmar guy Zaw Zaw is in charge of the committee? That's a big red flag for me . It feels like Fifa is more interested in boosting its reputation than actually promoting meaningful change. The fact that they've got some fancy new "social responsibility" committee is just smoke and mirrors . Where are the real accountability measures when it comes to human rights? I'm keeping an eye on this one, but so far, my gut's telling me it's gonna be a long shot

omg this is so shady fifa is already known for its corruption issues and now they're trying to give out a peace prize?! i'm not buying it zaw zaw's past with the military regime in myanmar is super concerning... how can we trust him to pick winners who "help unite people in peace"? it's all just about power and finance, imo this social responsibility committee is just a fancy way of saying they're more interested in saving face than actually making a difference

lol what's next fifa getting a peace prize for being able to make a football field appear out of thin air lol just kidding (kinda) but seriously, it's like how can they have a 'peace' prize when there's so much drama around Gianni Infantino? I mean, the dude has been all over the news with Trump and Saudi Arabia, it's like he's trying to win a bet on who can be most buddy-buddy with the presidents of the world . And let's not forget about Zaw Zaw, Myanmar's football federation president... doesn't that sound like something out of a spy movie? "Oh, I'm just gonna join Fifa and oversee their peace prize committee... no biggie" . Seriously though, it's gotta be tough to take the criticism over human rights when there are so many questionable moves being made behind the scenes .

I'm low-key worried about this new peace prize from Fifa . I mean, don't get me wrong, it's awesome they're trying to promote peace and unity, but have we seen the line-up for that committee? I've heard Zaw Zaw has ties to Myanmar's military regime and there are EU sanctions on him from 2009-2016! That raises so many questions about his impartiality #FifaPeacePrize #ConcernsAboutImpartiality

And let's be real, the whole thing feels a bit staged with Infantino trying to cosy up to Trump and Saudi Arabia . It's like Fifa is more focused on saving face than actually making a positive impact . I hope they step it up and make this prize mean something #FifaTransparency #PeaceOverPolitics

I mean, come on! A peace prize from FIFA? It's like winning a trophy for showing up! But seriously, who wants a piece of paper when you can have a championship title? Still, it's a bit suspicious that they're giving out awards to people with ties to some pretty sketchy military regimes... I guess you could say they're trying to "kick off" some good vibes? Anyway, I'm just gonna sit back and watch this whole thing unfold, like a game of FIFA on pause.