Sepp Blatter blasts FIFA president Gianni Infantino: 'We lost football to Saudi Arabia'

President of FIFA between 1998 and 2015, Sepp Blatter has voiced his dissatisfaction with Gianni Infantino’s leadership. More specifically, the former president has criticised world football’s governing body for its increasingly close relationship with Saudi Arabia.

In an interview with German broadcaster RTL, Blatter said he disapproved of the decision to award the 2034 World Cup to the Middle Eastern nation. The former official also accused FIFA of becoming passive under Infantino’s management.

“We have lost football to Saudi Arabia. We gave it away and they took it. And, surprisingly, there is no opposition within FIFA. During my presidency, we still had meetings where problems were discussed and decisions were taken at congress. That no longer happens today.”

Blatter had already admitted in November 2022, just before the start of the World Cup, that awarding the 2022 edition to Qatar was “a mistake”. He was FIFA president in 2010, when the country was controversially chosen as host amid allegations of vote buying.

Former FIFA president opposes the new Club World Cup

Blatter has also criticised the revamped Club World Cup introduced by FIFA. Infantino expanded the tournament to 32 teams from across the globe, with this year’s edition taking place in the United States. The final between Chelsea and PSG will be held this Sunday, at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

“There’s too much football. It’s always the same clubs, the same players, who should be resting. They’ve played in a sweltering summer — it’s harmful and irresponsible. You can’t do that. The players must be protected.”

Blatter also took the opportunity to aim another dig at the current president, criticising the use of virtual meetings and a “six-hour delay for a congress”. He was referring to an incident that occurred in May in Asuncion, Paraguay.

At the time, Infantino failed to show up on time for a FIFA Congress due to a controversial trip to the Middle East to meet with Donald Trump. In protest, UEFA delegates reportedly left the congress before Infantino’s arrival.

In recent months, Infantino has strengthened ties with the US president, with the United States set to co-host the 2026 World Cup alongside Mexico and Canada.

What happened to Blatter?

Now 89 years old, Blatter was cleared of fraud and corruption charges by the Swiss judiciary in March this year. The former FIFA president had been under investigation alongside Michel Platini, former France captain and ex-UEFA president—who was also acquitted.

The case revolved around a payment of 2 million Swiss francs (approximately £1.7m) that Blatter authorised to Platini in 2011. The sum was claimed to be unpaid consultancy fees for work carried out between 1998 and 2002. Platini stated that the payment had been delayed because FIFA lacked sufficient funds at the time.

Although the pair were initially acquitted more than two years ago, prosecutors had appealed and brought the case to a higher court—only for it to be dismissed once again.

The scandal, which came to light in 2015, forced Blatter to step down as president of FIFA. Several other senior officials, including former secretary general Jérome Valcke, ex-vice president Julio Grondona, and former finance director Markus Kattner, were also removed from their posts in the wake of the investigation.

This article was originally published on Trivela.