Overview
- Blatter labeled FIFA “a dictatorship,” claiming the council has “nothing to say” and accusing Gianni Infantino of deference to US President Donald Trump.
- SPORT1’s decade-on review details projected revenues of about $13 billion for the current World Cup cycle and expansions to 48-team men’s and women’s World Cups plus a 32-team Club World Cup.
- Michel Platini and former DFB chief Theo Zwanziger say Infantino has grown more autocratic, using FIFA’s money and an expanded web of commissions to secure loyalty and mute dissent.
- Reporting says the 2034 World Cup was effectively steered to Saudi Arabia in a process critics view as bypassing earlier reforms, with suggestions it also bolstered support as Club World Cup marketing faltered.
- SPORT1 reports Infantino must seek reelection next year and, under statute changes, could extend his tenure to 2031, with organized internal opposition described as minimal.