FIFA shelved a proposed expansion of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to 48 teams on May 22, dealing a blow to the world football body’s president Gianni Infantino.
The 2022 tournament in the Gulf state will now be played with 32 nations taking part.
FIFA said it had abandoned the expansion plans “following a thorough and comprehensive consultation process” which led to the conclusion that “under the current circumstances such a proposal could not be made now.”
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“[The tournament] will therefore remain as originally planned with 32 teams and no proposal will be submitted at the next FIFA Congress on 5 June,” FIFA said in a statement.
Meanwhile, former FIFA President, Sepp Blatter has blasted his successor Gianni Infantino for thinking he can ride roughshod over decisions already made by the organisation after plans for a 48-team 2022 World Cup were shelved.
Speaking to AFP, Blatter said that “you can’t just change willy-nilly rulings taken by the Executive Committee”, adding that Infantino wanted to “revoke” the decision made in December 2010 to make the 2022 World Cup in Qatar a 32-team tournament.
Blatter also confirmed that he will sue both FIFA and Infantino for issuing false information and damaging his reputation, saying that there would be a “legal assault” on both.