"I created a monster," said former FIFA president Joseph Blatter, as reported by Idman.biz.
Sharing his thoughts on modern football, Blatter expressed deep concern: "I created a monster. FIFA was poor when I started there as director of development programs in 1975. Sponsors like Adidas didn't pay any money, they just gave balls and shirts. The first sponsorship deal that really brought in money was the one with Coca-Cola in 1976. Then there was public television, which suddenly allowed advertising. Football became a super product for television, a super show that could be sold for a lot of money. The first World Cup that really brought in money was the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. When (Gianni) Infantino became president in 2016, he sat in a ready-made nest; the money machine was running. Now he is fueling it more and more."
“Almost everywhere is going in the wrong direction at the moment. Tickets are getting more and more expensive. With increasing commercialization, there is more violence at all levels, on and off the field. Instead of remaining what it was, a socio-cultural asset, a place where you learn to win but also to lose, football is increasingly becoming a battlefield in every respect."
Blatter led FIFA from 1998 to 2013.
Idman.biz
