Sepp Blatter criticizes Infantino's plans for World Cup formats
Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter is criticizing successor Gi‐ anni Infantino's plans for a 48‐ team World Cup and an ex‐ panded Club World Cup.
In an interview with German weekly Die Zeit released Wednesday, Blatter said that "what is happening at the mo‐ ment is an overcommercializa‐ tion of the game."
"There are attempts to squeeze more and more out of the lemon — for example with the World Cup finals with 48 teams or now with a Club World Cup that must be viewed as direct competition to the Champions League," he was quoted as saying. "FIFA is encroaching here on something that is actually none of its busi‐ ness, club soccer."
The 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada will be the first 48‐nation tournament, meeting Infantino's election pledge of a bigger and more inclusive World Cup going beyond European and South American teams. This year's tournament in Qatar featured 32 teams.
Earlier this month, Infantino called for a 32‐team men's Club World Cup in 2025.
Blatter announced in June 2015 that he would resign early as
FIFA president, in the fallout from a sprawling corruption in‐ vestigation. He has long denied wrongdoing, saying in Wednes‐ day's interview that "I have never taken money that I didn't earn — that's why nothing on me could ever be proven in all the proceedings against me. And that will remain the case."
Infantino, a fellow Swiss, suc‐ ceeded Blatter in 2016. Blatter told Die Zeit that he has "no rela‐ tionship with Infantino" and that the current president "behaved disrespectfully because he has refused any contact with me since his election." Blatter added that "he only communicates with me via lawyers."
Blatter claimed that he had re‐ peatedly "tried to control the business," for example in at‐ tempting to limit transfers of tal‐ ented South American or African players to Europe. An attempt to introduce a pay cap for players also failed. Blatter said "we did‐ n't manage to protect soccer from economic and political in‐ fluence."