FIFA former President Sepp Blatter has accused his successor Gianni Infantino of turning football into ‘a huge money machine’.
Blatter took a swipe at his successor for his desire for ‘everything to be bigger’.
He was particularly critical of his planned expansion of the World Cup to 48 teams and similar proposals for the Club World Cup and Women’s World Cup.
“It seemed that Gianni Infantino wanted to pave the way for the Presidency,” Blatter told Swiss news agency Keystone-ATS.“Gianni Infantino wants to turn football into a huge money machine. He wants everything to be bigger.
“A World Cup of 48 teams, the Goal project renamed because he wants three times more money. A big Club World Cup with 24 teams, passing the Women’s World Cup from 24 to 32 teams.
“It’s not possible, it’s too heavy to digest.
“He plays with himself because he is imbued with himself. He has become a megalomaniac. In his arrogance, he no longer speaks to the Presidents of the associations but only to heads of state.”
Blatter was ousted as FIFA’s president five years ago and is currently serving a six-year ban from football-related activities due to ethics violations from his time.
In April he pleaded his innocence after the US Department of Justice issued an indictment charging that Russia and Qatar paid bribes
in order to secure votes ahead of being awarded the 2018 and 2022 World Cups respectively.
After taking charge of world football in 1998 the Swiss helped turned the World Cup into one of the biggest revenue makers in world sport.
