J Balvin, the Colombian singer, playing reggaeton. Tems performing the Afropop she cultivated in Nigeria. Doja Cat, the insistently outré American star, in front of a global audience.
There was something pleasingly haphazard about this mash-up, all the more so for a surprise appearance by Coldplay tacked on to the end of the halftime show of the FIFA Club World Cup final on Sunday in New Jersey. Lead singer Chris Martin assembled the lineup in his capacity as an ambassador for Global Citizen, the anti-poverty nonprofit, and as a sort of standard-bearer for the ecumenical, cooperative vision attached to the image of the international sports spectacle. Fireworks went off in front of the Manhattan skyline at MetLife Stadium.
In the audience, FIFA president Gianni Infantino watched alongside Donald Trump. The final of the Club World Cup—a competition among international professional club teams, not to be confused with the country-versus-country format of the World Cup proper—is a prelude to the full-fledged event that will take place on the same grounds next year. Ahead of this most high-profile international occasion, the two men have ratcheted up their public kinship, with Infantino accompanying Trump on a trip to the Middle East in May. FIFA recently opened an office in Trump Tower, and as Infantino marked the moment alongside Trump’s son Eric and the retired Brazilian striker Ronaldo, he thanked the president, whom he described as “a big fan of soccer.”
The duo were joined in their box by Trump cabinet members—Pam Bondi, Sean Duffy, Kristi Noem—as well as Rupert Murdoch, Tom Brady, and Melania Trump. The show of force was of a piece with Trump’s broader M.O. in his second administration, as he has courted sports audiences as a signal of his cultural acceptance. Earlier this year, he attended the Super Bowl and Daytona 500 and announced plans to host a UFC bout at the White House for the country’s 250th anniversary. “Could a woman make your team, fellas?” Trump asked a befuddled-looking group of Juventus FC players during their June visit to the Oval Office.
Justin Setterfield/FIFA via Getty Images.
After Trump was convicted last year of falsifying business records to cover up a hush-money payment he made to Stormy Daniels, he quickly rebounded by attending a UFC fight. There, he found full support in an audience that included the outfit’s CEO, Dana White, and leading comedian-podcaster Theo Von. While Infantino has embraced Trump, the president’s standing among international soccer fans sits on far more treacherous ground, not least because of the made-for-TV quality of his trademark immigration raids. On social media, reports quickly circulated that boos had broken out when Trump appeared on the jumbotron during the national anthem; conservative sports media personality Clay Travis insisted that he had in fact been cheered. (From my seat in a mostly soundproof press box, it was impossible to tell.)
When the match ended, with the London club Chelsea notching a decisive victory over Paris Saint-Germain, Trump headed down to the field. He and Infantino grasped the Club World Cup trophy and carried it over to the winners. As Chelsea’s captain prepared to hoist the prize, Infantino began walking toward the side of the group and out of the central fray. Trump stayed where he was, joining the team as if he had suited up with them.
It was, even a decade into the Trump political era, a fairly jarring display of showmanship. A few Chelsea players appeared confused, but as they launched into their celebration, no one pushed him aside.
