Players from Chelsea soccer club were visibly baffled as Donald Trump hijacked their ceremonial Club World Cup celebration on Sunday.
Trump presented the winners with the trophy after the club’s 3-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain in the inaugural club World Cup final. But instead of walking off stage, he remained front and center despite FIFA president Gianni Infantino urging him to exit as protocol dictates.
This led to boos and an awkward moment as visibly confused players looked at each other wondering why Trump was still on stage crashing their celebration and whether they should wait for him to leave before proceeding with the ceremonial trophy lift.
Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sánchez eventually motioned for Captain Reece James to go ahead with Trump standing center stage leading to jubilant players celebrating with Trump in the middle.
Infantino ultimately return to the stage and awkwardly ushered Trump off the platform.
“I knew he was going to be here, but I didn’t know he was going to be on the stand when we lifted the trophy, so I was a bit confused,” said player of the tournament Cole Palmer, who was caught on camera mouthing, “what is he doing?”
“Before they told me that he was going to present the trophy and exit the stage. I thought he was going to exit the stage, but he wanted to stay,” James said.
The club World Cup wrapped on Sunday, but the FIFA World Cup is scheduled to kick off in June of 2026, with games played in 16 cities across Canada, Mexico and the United States.
