Former President Blatter makes it clear
“A dictatorship”: Sharp criticism of FIFA boss Infantino
May 10, 2026 – 10:32 amReading time: 2 minutes
The 90-year-old former FIFA President Joseph Blatter makes serious allegations against his successor Gianni Infantino on ZDF. It’s not just the question of power – the 2026 World Cup is also drawing Blatter’s wrath.
In a ZDF interview, ex-FIFA President Joseph Blatter attacked his successor Gianni Infantino head-on. Blatter accuses him of turning FIFA into a “dictatorship” – and is also against the 2026 World Cup.
“The president who is here now only talks to heads of state, travels around the world in jets and has forgotten that the essence of Fifa is the game,” said Blatter. Regarding the association’s power structure, he added: “Fifa is a dictatorship at the moment. Everything the president says is done. And everything else is silenced.” The world association is “no longer a respectable organization,” said Blatter. “It’s not good on the head.”
Infantino has been Blatter’s successor at the top of FIFA for ten years. At the end of April, the 56-year-old announced that he would run for re-election as president for the third time in 2027. Blatter now criticized the direction of the association under Infantino. “It’s all about the money and no longer about the game,” he explained.
Blatter also did not leave the World Cup in the summer in the USA, Canada and Mexico uncommented. For the first time, 48 teams are taking part in the tournament. Blatter said: “This World Cup that’s coming up now, nobody cares about sustainability. If I were still there, this wouldn’t have happened.”
Blatter was FIFA president from 1998 to 2016 and resigned amid corruption investigations. His own administration was also highly controversial.
