>>149757057
https://archive.is/Os8xt

>Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter has said football has been “lost” to Saudi Arabia and criticised his former employer’s role in offering “no opposition” to the Middle East nation.

>In December, Saudi was confirmed as the host nation of the 2034 men’s World Cup following an unopposed bid for the tournament.
Saudi Arabia has invested significantly in football in recent years, most notably in 2023 as its Public Investment Fund (PIF) took control of four domestic teams — Al Ahli, Al Hilal, Al Ittihad and Al Nassr — in the Saudi Pro League (SPL), a year after PIF bought an 85 per cent stake in Premier League club Newcastle United.

>FIFA’s $1 billion broadcast deal for the newly-expanded Club World Cup with DAZN — now part-owned by PIF’s sports arm SURJ — is another element of the Middle Eastern nation’s dominant position in the sport.

>Other Saudi brands, meanwhile, have been promoted across recent club and international showpieces including Aramco, Riyadh Air and Visit Saudi.

Not the first time he's spoken out about the Arabian peninsula taking football, he said similar about Qatar getting the World Cup: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/63554507

>Blatter says he voted for the United States and blames then-Uefa president Michel Platini for swinging the vote in Qatar's favour.

">It was a bad choice and I was responsible for that as president at the time," he said.

>"Thanks to the four votes of Platini and his [Uefa] team, the World Cup went to Qatar rather than the United States. It's the truth."

lol

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How did we lose the beautiful game?