There is a growing sense of embarrassment among mid-level and senior officials within Fifa over the awarding of its peace prize to Donald Trump. The US president was handed the award at the World Cup draw in Washington DC in December with the Fifa president, Gianni Infantino, telling Trump: “We want to see hope, we want to see unity, we want to see a future. This is what we want to see from a leader and you definitely deserve the first Fifa Peace Prize.”

Since then, the US has launched airstrikes across Venezuela and captured the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores, and flown them to the US, where he was put in jail. Maduro appeared in court on 5 January, pleading not guilty to drugs, weapons and “narco‑terrorism” charges. Trump has also threatened to invade Greenland because he said the US needs the territory “very badly”.

There was unease within Fifa at the time of Trump receiving the award with the governing body not disclosing any details of the selection process. Now, though, that has shifted to “deep embarrassment”, according to one senior Fifa source. Multiple officials have expressed their unease about the way it was handled.

A highly placed official, who declined to go on the record, admitted that staging the World Cup in the US is going to be a “very delicate” and “difficult” period, in the months leading up to the tournament as well as during the competition itself.

It is understood that Infantino has been left to deal with the “political matters” concerning Trump for the World Cup as others fear it may tarnish their reputations. “Involving myself in the politics surrounding this World Cup is something I stay far away from. My job concerns football on the pitch and nothing else,” a Fifa source said.

Fifa, however, doubled down on its decision to give Trump the peace prize, and said it did not comment on “hearsay”. A spokesperson said: “Fifa strongly supports its annual peace prize, an award to recognise exceptional actions for peace and unity. Fifa notes the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize recipient [the Venezuelan opposition leader, María Corina Machado] has given her medal to President Trump.

“Fifa has strong relations with President Trump, along with leaders from fellow co-hosts Canada and Mexico. This has resulted in good working relationships leading to, for example in the US, the formation of the White House Task Force for the Fifa World Cup.”