Former FIFA president attacks Infantino: "Football lost to Saudi Arabia"

Former FIFA President Joseph "Sepp" Blatter has harshly criticized the current leadership of the world football governing body, led by his fellow Swiss, Gianni Infantino. At the same time, the 89-year-old lamented the oversupply of football and the sell-out of the sport to Saudi Arabia due to the Club World Cup in the USA. "Yes, we lost football to Saudi Arabia. We offered it, and they took it," the former top official explained in an interview with the TV channels RTL/ntv.

"And amazingly, there is no opposition to this within FIFA," Blatter continued. In response to the objection that there was no resistance under his leadership either, he defended himself. "Yes, back then there were congresses where problems were discussed and the congress made decisions. Today, there is no longer any discussion in the congress," he concluded. There's no need to hold a congress and invite people; everything is done electronically, and no one says anything.

The Saudi kingdom is hosting the 2034 World Cup and has now become a major sponsor of the Club World Cup in the USA. By purchasing shares in the streaming service Dazn for one billion US dollars, Saudi Arabia almost single-handedly financed the tournament. In addition, numerous stars, such as Cristiano Ronaldo, play for state-funded clubs for huge sums.

In a dig at Infantino, Blatter said: "You can even be six hours late to a congress." The 55-year-old association head had arrived late for the recent congress in Asunción, Paraguay, following a controversial trip to the Middle East with US President Donald Trump. The congress therefore began more than three hours late. Infantino apologized.

In Blatter's opinion, the Club World Cup, which concludes this Sunday with the final between Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea FC and the 63rd match of the four-week tournament, is not good for the sport. "There's too much football," criticized the Swiss. It's always the same clubs and always the same players, who should also have a rest. "They played in the hottest summer (...) that's unhealthy and cheeky. (...) That's not right. We have to protect the players," demanded the 89-year-old Blatter, who led FIFA from 1998 to 2016.