Sepp Blatter at a 2020 court hearing.Image: trapezoid
Former FIFA boss Sepp Blatter has harshly criticized his successor Gianni Infantino – with accusations reminiscent of those leveled against him during his time in office.
Sepp Blatter is 88 years old today. But the people of Valais are as focused on football as ever. Now, in an interview with SonntagsZeitung, he has bad words for his successor, FIFA president and fellow Valais player Gianni Infantino.
On the one hand, Blatter criticized Infantino's personal behavior towards him:
“His attitude towards me was disrespectful.”
After Blatter stepped down in 2015, Infantino was elected as the new president of FIFA and announced that his predecessor would no longer set foot in the FIFA building while serving as president.
Blatter believes that Infantino should instead show gratitude that he is able to settle into his “comfort zone” and benefit from the good financial situation created by sponsors and TV contracts.
There’s no hay to share the stage with Sepp Blatter.Image: trapezoid
Blatter went on to say that even though Infantino was still working at UEFA, he didn't get along with them. When asked what turning 54 means to him, he said:
“In Qatar, before the World Cup, he said he was everything: Arabs, Africans, gays, disabled people, guest workers, everything. He reminded me of Pinocchio. He could do everything too. But if he If he doesn't tell the truth, his nose will grow longer.”
But that wasn't the end of Blatter's tirade about his equally controversial successor. Infantino did nothing for Switzerland, he did whatever he wanted at FIFA. The Football Association did not object because Infantino was the “safe”, meaning he decided who got how much.
Blatter faced similar accusations during his tenure at FIFA. The Valais man eventually had to resign in 2015, mainly because of corruption allegations. He was banned for six years by FIFA's ethics committee. Brat said self-deprecatingly:
«We set up an ethics committee. The first thing she did was: kick me out. “
Contrary to Infantino, for him it is football. His leadership is based on trust and loyalty. Infantino, on the other hand, only cares about money, not sports:
“Infantino has nothing to do with football. Someone who is so bad at the game can't possibly care. He can't even put the ball into the goal from 11 meters away.”
Specifically, Blatter complained that there are always more games and competitions, whether national team or club competitions. Additionally, everything is getting more expensive and fans need massive subscriptions to watch football matches. FIFA's processes have also become increasingly opaque. For example, Blatter criticized Infantino for single-handedly awarding the World Cup hosting rights to Saudi Arabia and spending a lot of money on it.
It has long been known that relations between Valais' two top football officials were strained, to say the least. When asked what the real reason was, Blatt eventually responded humorously, mentioning their common origin:
“I can't prove it by saying I'm from Visp and he's from Brig.”
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