Sepp Blatter has been reminded of his wrongdoings as FIFA President after giving his opinion on Gianni Infantino’s relationship with US President Donald Trump.

A report from The Times has uncovered FIFA’s plans to sell a minority stake in the World Cup, and Infantino is at the forefront of this scheme. The sporting body is set to work with JPMorgan to raise $4.2 billion from private investors.

A new commercial entity called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) will grant FIFA’s 211 national member associations tradable equity stakes. It has been met with huge backlash, and UEFA has told Infantino that he is “crossing a line.”

“Deeply Damaging” – Sepp Blatter Hits Out at Gianni Infantino

REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth

UEFA nations have called an emergency meeting, which could lead to them boycotting the World Cup if Infantino doesn’t reconsider. UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham slammed FIFA’s plans and told them they are “selling out.”

Trump’s administration has reportedly been approached by FIFA about the potential deal. The US President holds a strong relationship with Infantino after co-hosting the tournament in the United States during the summer.

Blatter hit out at his predecessor with a post on his X account: “The close relationship between the FIFA President and the US President has reached a financial dimension that is deeply damaging football. No one has the right to sell our game. #GianniInfantino #DonaldTrump #FIFA #UEFA #USA #Sellout.”

The Spiderman meme comes to mind after seeing Blatter criticise Infantino about “selling our game.” The replies to his comments were all pointed at the disgraced former FIFA president’s hypocrisy.

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher humorously poked fun at Blatter by posting a GIF of Trump pointing down a camera lens.

Fans echoed this stance, and one wrote: “Why is Sepp Blatter talking about corruption? He was worse than Infantino” while another replied: “Sepp Blatter; the man who ran FIFA for 17 years and was banned for ethics violations is now the voice of moral authority on corruption in football. The fact that he’s the most credible critic in this situation tells you everything about how deep this rabbit hole goes.”

Infantino was elected as president back in February 2016 and replaced Blatter, who spent 17 years in power. The proposed plans are the latest controversy surrounding FIFA’s current head honcho, who is reportedly set to earn millions from the potential deal.

What Led to Blatter Leaving FIFA

Sepp Blatter (L) congratulates Czech legendary midfielder Josef Masopust on his 80th birthday

Blatter’s tenure as FIFA president ended after an investigation into corruption, including bribery, took place in May 2015. Seven high-ranking FIFA officials were arrested and charged with taking over $150 million in bribes.

The Swiss authorities raided the Baur au Lac hotel in Zurich on May 27th, 2015, on indictments from the US Department of Justice. The investigation centred on broadcasting and commercial rights, hosting votes for major tournaments, and the decision to award Russia and Qatar the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

Blatter had been re-elected two days after the arrests, but major sponsors, UEFA and legal threats led to him announcing his resignation. Investigators then opened a criminal investigation and uncovered a suspect payment of $2 million from Blatter to then-UEFA President Michel Platini in 2011.

This led the FIFA Ethics Committee to suspend Blatter and Platini from football for eight years, immediately stripping them of any executive power. They have since been acquitted twice of criminal fraud in Swiss civil courts, but their bans remain intact.

Former UFC champion Jon Jones has revealed the reason why seven-time World Drivers’ Champion Lewis Hamilton unfollowed and blocked him on social media.

Jones recently appeared on the ALF Global Podcast and brought up a funny story about the reason why the Ferrari ace unfollowed him on socials after sending him a long message disagreeing with his actions.

In 2021, the former UFC light heavyweight and heavyweight champion posted a video on social media where he joined Army Rangers in hunting pigs with an AR-15 out of a helicopter, and said he proudly killed one of them and donated it to an underprivileged family.

After posting the video, Jones said he received a long message from the Formula 1 ace, calling him a coward and that the traditional way of killing an animal should be with a bow and arrow so that it has a chance to fight back.

Despite being a huge fan of Hamilton, Jones was blocked by him following the video.

Jon Jones Discusses Lewis Hamilton Incident

Jones detailed the story and the message that he received from Hamilton, saying: “I was so proud of myself because I killed one of the pigs from the helicopter.

“My pig was donated to an underprivileged family in the community, but Lewis saw me shoot the pig, and he wrote me a long message saying that I was a coward, and he thought I was better than that.

“He said the traditional way of killing animals should be with a spear or a bow and arrow. He said only a coward could shoot an animal from a helicopter, give the animal a chance to fight you back at least.

Lewis Hamilton’s Strong Beliefs

The Ferrari driver is renowned for being an environmentalist and regularly shares his activism on social media. Being involved in a sport like F1, where carbon emissions are high, the Brit does what he can to offset these emissions, including selling his private jet and switching to electric or hybrid cars off track.

Most notably, Hamilton switched to a plant-based diet in 2017, cutting out meat and dairy consumption due to the industry’s part to play in deforestation and climate change.

While Jones recalled the exchange as a humorous anecdote, Hamilton’s response is hardly surprising considering his efforts to speak out about animal welfare and the environment.

Arsenal are close to completing the signing of a centre-back, with talks on this front said to be more advanced than the prospective deal for Bruno Guimaraes, according to ESPN Brazil journalist Bruno Andrade.

The Gunners have made multiple offers for Guimaraes now, as they look to pry Newcastle United’s captain away from the north-east and to North London. The latest proposal is said to have been in the region of £70 million, and while there is optimism that an agreement can be reached, it’s understood that this bid was still short of the Magpies’ valuation.

This deal, along with Arsenal’s audacious pursuit of Vinicius Junior, has grabbed the headlines in recent weeks.

However, Andrade claims the North Londoners are much more advanced in negotiations for a different transfer, with an unknown centre-back reportedly closing in on a switch to the Emirates.

Arsenal Closing in on Centre-Back Signing

REUTERS/Phil Noble via Action Images

William Saliba had been carrying a back injury for several months before the issue ended his World Cup in France’s semi-final match against Spain. The defender hobbled off, and while he won’t need surgery, he is expected to miss multiple months of action.

Arsenal have subsequently responded by making centre-back a priority position in the transfer market, despite the noise linking them to the likes of Guimaraes and Vinicius.

Speaking on ESPN Brazil, reporter Bruno Andrarde suggested that the Gunners are actually edging closer to completing the acquisition of a short-term Saliba replacement.

“I don’t have the name here, so I can’t call it an exclusive,” Andrade said. “But speaking to someone involved in Bruno Guimarães’ situation, Arsenal are close to signing a centre-back to solve, for now, the issue created by Saliba’s injury.”

“They haven’t given me the name yet. I’m trying to find out so I can help our English colleagues too, but it’s a deal that will happen even faster than the Bruno Guimarães transfer. It’s really imminent.”

Who Could Arsenal’s Imminent Centre-Back Signing Be?

Arsenal have been linked with a number of centre-backs since news of Saliba’s prolonged absence broke.

John Stones and Ezri Konsa are the two names most prominently linked, although the former is closing in on a switch to Inter Milan, and the deal for the latter appeared too expensive and complicated for it to suddenly be imminent without any prior reporting.

Arsenal are also known to be interested in Sporting’s Zeno Debast, who would make sense given Andrade is based in Portugal. The 22-year-old defender excelled in his first two seasons in the Primeira Liga, and multiple reports have sufraced indicating that the Gunners are monitoring the Belgian.

Elsewhere, Arsenal have also been linked with the likes of Jacobo Ramon, Ivan Fresneda and Jon Martin, all of whom could be the man in question.