Sepp Blatter attacks Gianni Infantino over ties to Donald Trump | OneFootball

Sepp Blatter has launched a fierce attack on successor Gianni Infantino, accusing him of centralising power at FIFA and courting Donald Trump.

"What is FIFA today? It all comes down to its president, Infantino. FIFA is a dictatorship. The FIFA Council and its roughly 40 members have no decision-making power," said the 89-year-old, speaking to Bild.

He lamented Infantino’s close collaboration with Trump, saying the FIFA chief gave him a Peace Award as a courtesy for hosting the 2026 World Cup, which will be staged mostly in the United States. "Trump is going to orchestrate a publicity sham. He is already doing so. For that he needs his new friend, the FIFA president, Gianni Infantino. The word accomplice is more appropriate than friend," he said.

Blatter has also said the 2026 tournament should be examined with great care given the political instability and security situation in the United States. "What happened in Minneapolis is worse than everything that happened in Qatar. I hope football prevails over politics and calm returns once the competition starts in the United States," he said.

On 17 September 2015 Jérôme Valcke was suspended. On 8 October 2015 FIFA’s Ethics Committee handed Blatter a 90-day provisional ban as part of an investigation that also involved Michel Platini. On 21 December 2015 Blatter and Platini received eight-year bans from all football activity, and in 2025 they were acquitted by the Swiss judiciary.

Source: El Periódico Mediterráneo