The alternative 2025 sports awards: quotes, gaffes and animal cameos

Key Highlights

• “The President won his second round matchup of the Senior Club Championship today in Jupiter, FL, and advances to the Championship Round tomorrow.”Most embeddedGianni Infantino, standing in the Oval Office in November while his choice for Fifa’s inaugural peace prize winner floated the idea of bombing World Cup co-hosts Mexico.
• Infantino: “The president says what he thinks.
• He has such an incredible energy.”And the coolest headsCanada’s ice hockey team, responding to calls for restraint before February’s match against the US after Trump called Canada “our 51st State” by starting three fist‑fights in the first nine seconds.
• Canada coach Jon Cooper: “That was as organic as it gets.”‘As organic as it gets’ hristinne Muschi/APTournament of the yearInfantino’s restructured Club World Cup: top clubs competing for a trophy with his name engraved on it twice.
• Infantino – who commissioned a Panini gold sticker of himself pre-tournament – used a Trump Tower press briefing in July to reflect on the mixed response to it all: “We respect everyone’s opinion.