BERLIN (AP) — Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter is criticizing successor Gianni Infantino’s plans for a 48-team World Cup and an expanded Membership World Cup.In an interview with German weekly Die Zeit launched Wednesday, Blatter stated that “what is occurring in the mean time is an overcommercialization of the sport.”“There are makes an attempt to squeeze an increasing number of out of the lemon — for instance with the World Cup finals with 48 groups or now with a Membership World Cup that have to be considered as direct competitors to the Champions League,” he was quoted as saying. “FIFA is encroaching right here on one thing that’s really none of its enterprise, membership soccer.”The 2026 World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada would be the first 48-nation event, assembly Infantino’s election pledge of an even bigger and extra inclusive World Cup going past European and South American groups. This yr’s event in Qatar featured 32 groups.Earlier this month, Infantino known as for a 32-team males’s Membership World Cup in 2025.Blatter introduced in June 2015 that he would resign early as FIFA president, within the fallout from a sprawling corruption investigation. He has lengthy denied wrongdoing, saying in Wednesday’s interview that “I’ve by no means taken cash that I didn’t earn — that’s why nothing on me might ever be confirmed in all of the proceedings in opposition to me. And that may stay the case.”Infantino, a fellow Swiss, succeeded Blatter in 2016. Blatter instructed Die Zeit that he has “no relationship with Infantino” and that the present president “behaved disrespectfully as a result of he has refused any contact with me since his election.” Blatter added that “he solely communicates with me through legal professionals.”Blatter claimed that he had repeatedly “tried to manage the enterprise,” for instance in making an attempt to restrict transfers of gifted South American or African gamers to Europe. An try and introduce a pay cap for gamers additionally failed. Blatter stated “we didn’t handle to guard soccer from financial and political affect.”“I actually tried at all times to serve soccer,” he stated. “If in doing so I broken it, then I’m sorry.”___More AP soccer: https://Fifanews.com/hub/Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports