The more and more contentious former FIFA head, Sepp Blatter, has gone public to vociferously denounce Gianni Infantino’s plans for a 48-team World Cup and an enlarged Club World Cup.
In an interview with the German weekly Die Zeit on Wednesday, Blatter stated: “What is occurring in the meanwhile is an over-commercialization of the sport. There are makes an attempt to squeeze increasingly out of the lemon. For instance, with World Cup having 48 groups, or now with a Club World Cup that have to be seen as direct competitors to the Champions League. FIFA is encroaching right here on one thing that’s truly none of its business, membership soccer,” he was quoted as saying.
The 2026 World Cup within the United States, Mexico and Canada would be the first 48-nation match, assembly Infantino’s election pledge of an even bigger and extra inclusive World Cup going past European and South American groups. This yr’s model in Qatar featured 32 groups.
Earlier this month, Infantino referred to as for a 32-team males’s Club World Cup in 2025.
Blatter introduced in June 2015 that he would resign early as FIFA president within the fallout from a sprawling corruption investigation. He has lengthy denied wrongdoing, saying in Wednesday’s interview: “I have never taken money that I did not earn, that’s why nothing on me could ever be proven in proceedings against me. And that will remain the case.”
Infantino, a fellow Swiss, succeeded Blatter in 2016. Blatter advised Die Zeit that he has “no relation with Infantino” and that the current president “behaved disrespectfully as a result of he has refused any contact with me since his election.” Blatter added, “He solely communicates with me through attorneys.”
Blatter claimed that he had repeatedly “tried to control the business,” for example in attempting to limit transfers of talented South American or African players to Europe. An attempt to introduce a pay cap for players also failed. Blatter said: “We didn’t handle to guard soccer from financial and political affect. I actually tried to all the time serve soccer. If in doing so I broken it, then I’m sorry.”
