‘Dictator’ Infantino needs psychiatric help, says former Fifa chief Blatter

Sepp Blatter, the former FIFA president who resigned in 2015 amid corruption allegations, has criticized current FIFA chief Gianni Infantino in a recent interview with Der Spiegel. Blatter, 90, called Infantino a "dictator" and suggested that he requires psychiatric help. He expressed strong disapproval of Infantino's decision to create the Fifa Peace Prize award for US president Donald Trump prior to this year's World Cup, hosted in the US, Canada, and Mexico.

Blatter also criticized Infantino's plans to sell part of the commercial rights of the competition in the future, which were later scrapped due to widespread backlash. Blatter described the Peace Prize as "embarrassing" and questioned Infantino's motives in awarding it to someone who later waged war against Iran. He accused Infantino of enabling himself to be "blinded" by allowing national football bodies to vote for his re-election in exchange for increased funding.

Blatter characterized Infantino as a "dictator" who exerts excessive control over FIFA, stating that he is "untouchable." He further criticized Infantino's plans to sell off World Cup commercial rights, arguing that the World Cup's rules should apply uniformly to all. Blatter also questioned Infantino's understanding of FIFA's structure and suggested that he should be sent to a psychiatric ward.

FIFA responded to Blatter's statements by refuting allegations of inappropriate behavior and clarifying that Infantino is fulfilling his duties as president through his travels. However, FIFA also noted that Balogun's red card suspension was lifted by independent FIFA judicial bodies. Blatter expressed no regrets about his time in charge of FIFA and named World Athletics president Sebastian Coe as his preferred candidate to succeed Infantino.