Chelsea Crowned Inaugural Club World Cup Champions
Trump Criticized for Refusing to Leave Center Stage During Ceremony
U.S. President Donald Trump is facing controversy after appearing on stage during the championship ceremony for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup winners.
On July 13, Chelsea defeated French powerhouse Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 in the Club World Cup final held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. With this victory, Chelsea became the inaugural champion of the newly revamped Club World Cup, which, starting with this tournament, is held every four years and features 32 participating nations.
According to British outlet The Sun and other foreign media on July 13 (local time), President Trump stood among the Chelsea (England) players as they lifted the Club World Cup trophy and participated in the ceremony alongside them.
After attending the match, President Trump awarded medals to the Chelsea players following the final whistle and then, together with FIFA President Gianni Infantino, presented the championship trophy to the team.
However, while President Infantino exited after handing over the trophy, President Trump positioned himself among the Chelsea players as they prepared to lift the trophy.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino hands the trophy to the 2025 Club World Cup champion Chelsea players and gestures for President Trump, who continues to stand at the center of the podium, to step down. Photo by Raheem Kassam
According to The Sun, Chelsea captain Reece James (25) appeared to gesture to President Trump, as if asking whether he would move aside before lifting the trophy, but Trump simply smiled and did not respond.
The Chelsea squad, preparing for the ceremony, looked bewildered as they glanced at Trump, who continued to stand at the center of the podium. Trump smiled and applauded. An embarrassed James and goalkeeper Robert Sanchez spoke briefly with President Trump, and then proceeded to lift the trophy and celebrate.
President Infantino, observing the scene from the edge of the podium, repeatedly gestured for President Trump to step down. Eventually, he approached Trump and escorted him to the area behind the team.
In a post-ceremony interview, James was asked what he had discussed with President Trump. He replied, "It was too loud to hear anything clearly. The President congratulated us on our victory and told us to 'enjoy this moment.' I asked him if he would leave the stage before we lifted the trophy. I thought he would step down, but he wanted to stay."
Online commenters who saw the scene reacted by saying, "Does he think he's a Chelsea player?", "What on earth is he doing there?", and "President Trump stole the moment of victory. It's disgusting."
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