FIFA, Trump, and the Infantino Circus: Vancouver’s Housing Crisis Left Behind

 FIFA, Trump, and the Infantino Circus: Vancouver’s Housing Crisis Left Behind

By Tina Winterlik aka Zipolita

I woke up today and saw the headline: “Trump receives FIFA Peace Prize.” And honestly? I was gobsmacked. Not shocked — nothing surprises me anymore — but stunned at how absurd the world has become.

A “Peace Prize” from… FIFA?

FIFA — the organization famous for bribery scandals, corruption, shady deals, and ignoring human rights — has decided they are now the judges of “peace.”
That’s like giving a “Healthy Eating Award” to a fast-food clown.

Even better: they didn’t dust off an old award. No, they literally invented the “FIFA Peace Prize” this year — and handed it to Donald Trump. The very first winner. Cue the drumroll for a stunt nobody asked for.

Enter Infantino — the Power Baby

Gianni Infantino, FIFA’s president, is the one presenting the prize. Honestly, the name fits him perfectly.

Infantino — it sounds like a baby, doesn’t it?
A baby who wants the spotlight.
A baby who wants praise.
A baby who cries for attention and takes, takes, takes.

And FIFA gives him everything he wants.

He strutted onstage at the World Cup draw with Trump like they were starring in some political talent show. The whole thing felt like a PR stunt dreamed up by two men who crave applause more than accountability.

Why people are frustrated

Because this isn’t about football.
It’s not about peace.
It’s about ego, optics, and using a global event to push political narratives.

Meanwhile:

• Fans struggle with rising ticket prices
• Workers die building stadiums
• Countries go broke hosting tournaments
• And FIFA keeps telling everyone:
  “Football unites the world.”

Sure.
If by “unites” you mean “unites powerful men in backroom deals.”

And Vancouver knows the real cost

Let’s not pretend this kind of mega-event magic doesn’t have a human cost — especially here in Vancouver. We’ve lived through it before. During the 2010 Olympics, promises to protect renters and build affordable housing were forgotten. Low-income units were lost to renovations and conversions. Homelessness shot up as people were pushed out of their homes to “clean up” the city for visitors.

Today, as FIFA rolls in for the 2026 World Cup, activists in the Downtown Eastside are already warning that we’re repeating the same playbook: prioritizing tourist optics over local people’s right to housing. Meanwhile, homelessness continues to climb, affordable units sit empty, and ordinary Vancouverites — renters, seniors, and families — are left behind. Mega-events may make headlines, but for the most vulnerable, they bring displacement, stress, and broken promises.

The world has gone strange

It’s moments like this that make you feel like we accidentally fell into a parody timeline — where organizations with terrible ethics hand out awards about ethics. And everyone is just supposed to clap.

Not me.

Final thought

I didn’t expect much from FIFA.
But this?
Creating a peace prize out of thin air just to hand it to Trump?

Peak circus. Peak chaos. Peak Infantino.

What's next? I am afraid to look😬🤔😱👀