Blatter brands Infantino dictator

Résumé détaillé

Former FIFA boss Sepp Blatter has slammed his successor Gianni Infantino, calling him a ‘dictator’ who needs psychiatric help in a recent interview. Read More:…

Former FIFA boss Sepp Blatter has slammed current chief Gianni Infantino, calling his successor a “dictator” and suggesting he needs psychiatric help, in an interview with Der Spiegel published Wednesday.

Blatter, 90, criticised Infantino’s decision to create the FIFA Peace Prize award for US President Donald Trump in the lead-up to this year’s World Cup, hosted in the US, Canada and Mexico.

He was also critical of Infantino’s post-World Cup plans to sell off part of the commercial rights of the competition in the future, which was scrapped after a fierce backlash.

“FIFA is suffering. It is currently led by a person who has allowed himself to be blinded,” Blatter told the German magazine.

“Why would he do something like that?” Blatter asked. “Infantino awards a peace prize to someone who wages war against Iran shortly afterwards? That’s madness.”

Blatter said it was easy for Infantino to secure support for his own re-election from national football bodies.

“‘If you vote for me,’ he tells the national associations, ‘you will get much more money than before.’

“He is a dictator. People in FIFA tell me that no one is allowed to ride in the elevator with him. He is ‘untouchable’.”

Speaking of Infantino’s World Cup sale plans, Blatter said, “Infantino no longer knows any borders. He doesn’t understand any of this.

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