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

Fifa's new peace prize has sparked concerns over its timing and winner. The award was announced by Gianni Infantino, the president of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (Fifa), without much explanation, sparking suspicions that it could be a ploy to curry favor with powerful leaders.

The lack of information on how the inaugural winner will be chosen has fueled misgivings about the move. The Fifa peace prize is seen as Infantino's attempt to emulate his predecessor, Uefa president Aleksander Čeferin, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020. However, unlike Čeferin, Infantino has faced criticism for his close ties with powerful leaders.

The chair of the new "social responsibility" committee tasked with devising the process for choosing winners is Zaw Zaw, a 59-year-old Myanmar football federation president who has been at the center of controversy over his alleged connections to the Myanmar military junta. He has been subject to economic sanctions in the US and EU.

FairSquare, a human rights advocacy group, has raised concerns about Fifa's internal dynamics. The organization believes that Infantino's personal announcement of the peace prize without involving the main decision-making body is typical of his style.

Fifa's power dynamics are driven by its need to secure revenue through broadcasting rights and sponsorships. As McGeehan pointed out, every men's World Cup year brings in substantial funds, which Fifa passes on to host countries. This creates a strong incentive for the organization to maintain close ties with powerful leaders.

However, human rights organizations like Amnesty International have expressed concerns over Fifa's apparent prioritization of finance and power over neutrality and accountability.

The Fifa peace prize has sparked debate about Infantino's motivations and the organization's priorities. While some see it as a genuine attempt to promote world peace, others view it as a strategic move to secure favor with powerful leaders.

I think Fifa's trying to do something good here , but maybe they should've been more transparent about it... I mean, not giving any info on how the winner gets chosen is weird, especially when you consider Zaw Zaw's history . I get that Infantino wants to make a big splash and show he's still got connections, but prioritizing finance over peace doesn't sit right with me . Some people are saying it's just about securing revenue for the next World Cup, which is true, but can't they find a way to balance that with promoting world peace? At least they're trying something new, and who knows, maybe it'll lead to some positive change .

omg I'm literally so salty about this fifa peace prize thing... like what even is the point of announcing it without any explanation? does infantino really think we're just gonna blindly trust him with this huge responsibility? and can we please talk about how suspicious zaw zaw's involvement is? i mean, the guy has ties to the myanmar military junta... no thanks.

and another thing, why isn't there more transparency around this whole process? it's like fifa just wants to create a PR stunt to boost its image. newsflash: we're not buying it. what really matters is how the peace prize money gets allocated and if it's even going towards actual humanitarian efforts or just lining infantino's pockets.

i'm all for promoting world peace, but can't fifa do this in a way that's actually legit? like, let's talk about how its past actions have been super shady... need to see some real accountability from these people.

I mean, think about it... the more we're trying to control the narrative around something, the less transparent it is, right? Like, if Fifa really wanted to make this prize all about promoting world peace, wouldn't they want to involve more people in the process and make sure everyone's on the same page? But nope, Gianni Infantino just announces it out of nowhere... that raises some red flags. And then you have Zaw Zaw, the chair of the social responsibility committee... I mean, what are the chances that someone with such a checkered past gets picked for this role? It's like Fifa is saying, "Hey, we're all about peace and harmony"... but if that's really the case, why not involve some experts who actually know what they're talking about?

I'm thinking maybe this new peace prize thingy is just a bit rushed? Like, they announced it without much explanation and now people are getting all worried about how it's gonna work... It's true that Fifa needs that money from broadcasting rights and sponsorships, but can't they find other ways to do it without cozying up with powerful leaders too close? I mean, Infantino's already had some issues with his ties to leaders in the past...

Wow this whole thing is just so shady lol, FIFA trying to play both sides of the fence like that? And who does Zaw Zaw think he's fooling with his connections to the Myanmar military junta?! Interesting how power and finance can corrupt even the most well-intentioned initiatives...

the whole thing just feels like a PR stunt to me... infantino announces this award without even consulting the main committee, and now we're supposed to believe he's doing it out of the goodness of his heart? meanwhile, fair square is right to point out zaw zaw's shady past and how that's gonna reflect on fifa as a whole... i mean, don't get me wrong, peace is important, but can't fifa just have a more transparent process for choosing winners? this whole thing reeks of infantino trying to burnish his own reputation rather than actually promoting genuine positive change

I'm not sure I buy into this whole peace prize thing . It sounds like a bit of a PR stunt to me. I mean, come on, no explanation for how the winner is gonna be chosen? That's just too convenient. And what's up with Zaw Zaw being in charge of it? He's got some pretty shady connections, if you ask me .

And let's not forget that Fifa's all about making money these days. They're more worried about securing those broadcasting rights and sponsorships than they are about actually promoting peace or fairness. It's like they're saying, "Hey, we'll just award a prize to whoever's nice to us, and everyone will be happy!"

I'm not sure I trust Infantino's motives on this one. He's got some history of being close with powerful leaders, but that doesn't necessarily mean he's doing it for the right reasons. Maybe he just wants to curry favor and get some brownie points?

I'm totally confused about this new peace prize thing . I mean, I love football like anyone else, but Fifa's got a lot on their plate right now . It seems like they're trying to do good and all that, but the lack of info on how it'll work is kinda fishy . And what's up with this chair guy from Myanmar? I know he's got some baggage, but does Fifa really need him involved in something like this? It just feels like a way to get good press and curry favor with world leaders, you know? But at the same time, I get why they'd want to do something like this - it's all about revenue and sponsorships, right? And human rights groups are always gonna be on Fifa's case about that stuff . Maybe Infantino just wants to make a good impression, but without more info, I'm just not sure what's going on here .

I'm not sure I agree that this whole thing is a ploy for Gianni to curry favor... but at the same time, it's pretty fishy that he just announced it out of nowhere without even telling anyone else on the committee what was going on. Like, you'd think there would be some kind of process or something?

And I mean, I get why they might want to try and do something like this, but does it have to involve Zaw Zaw? He's got a pretty checkered past, if you ask me. And what's with the whole "social responsibility" committee thing? Sounds like just an excuse for them to avoid actually doing any real work.

I'm not sure I trust Fifa's motives on this one, but at the same time, it could be cool to have a peace prize... if they could figure out how to make it actually mean something.

omg u think fifa's new peace prize is gonna be legit or not?? i mean infantino just announced it out of thin air w/o any explanation which always raises red flags for me lol but idk maybe he's actually a saint and wanna promote world peace 24/7 zaw zaw tho is like a whole different story fam, i dont trust him one bit cuz of those alleged connections to the myanmar military junta btw what if fifa is just trying to get closer to powerful leaders so they can secure more revenue and sponsorship deals??? that would be super sus

I mean, I'm not sure what to think about this new peace prize from Fifa . On one hand, it sounds great that they're trying to do something positive for the sport and the world . But at the same time, I'm a bit concerned about how they're going about it. It's just a lot of mystery around how the winner will be chosen and whether it's even a genuine attempt to promote peace or just a way for Infantino to boost his image .

I don't know if I trust Zaw Zaw being in charge of that committee, considering all the controversy he's been involved in . And FairSquare bringing up concerns about Fifa's internal dynamics is a good point too . It just feels like there are some strings being pulled here without enough transparency.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that we should be keeping an eye on this and seeing how it all plays out . Let's hope they can make it work and not just end up looking like a PR stunt .

I'm totally skeptical about this new peace prize thingy . I mean, how can we trust that it's not just another way for Infantino to butter up his buddies in power ? The fact that he announced it without even consulting the main decision-making body is super shady . And have you seen who's on the committee tasked with choosing winners? Zaw Zaw, the Myanmar football federation president? There's already so many red flags around him... not to mention his connections to the military junta and economic sanctions . I'm worried that Fifa's just trying to save face after all the criticism Infantino has faced over the years . Can we really trust this new prize is about promoting world peace, or is it just a PR stunt? #FifaPeacePrize #SustainabilityOverPolitics

idk how many ppl think fifa's new peace prize is gonna be all about promoting actual peace lol... seems more like a way for infantino to kiss up to whoever's got the most $$$ to donate to his precious fifa . and what's with zaw zaw being in charge of that social responsibility committee? that's just asking 4 trouble . i mean, if fifa wants 2 make a real difference, they should be focussing on actual human rights issues, not just playin' both sides against each other

I'm not sure what's going on here... The new peace prize from Fifa is just another thing that's got me scratching my head . First off, I don't really get why they announced it without telling anyone about the process . It feels like they're trying to play some kind of game with people's emotions.

And then there's this guy Zaw Zaw who's in charge of choosing winners ... He's got some pretty shady connections going on, if you ask me. I mean, he's been sanctioned by the US and EU for being friends with the Myanmar military . That doesn't exactly fill me with confidence.

I guess what really bothers me is that it feels like Fifa is more concerned with making money than actually doing some good . They're all about getting those broadcasting rights and sponsorships, which means they've got a lot of power and influence to play with .

But at the same time, I can see why people would think this peace prize thing is a good idea . We could use more positivity in the world, right? It's just how Fifa is choosing to go about it that's got me wondering if they're really trying to make a difference or not .