Uli Hoeness has launched a scathing attack on FIFA president Gianni Infantino. The Bayern Munich honorary president waded into the controversy surrounding Infantino's plans for the future of FIFA tournaments, insisting Europe holds enough power to sink any project it doesn't back.
Speaking to German website "sport1" on Thursday, Hoeness said: "Personally, I think the Europeans do not realise how strong they really are. Any tournament without Europe is worth nothing."
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He added: "If Europe unites and works in harmony, then Mr Infantino will not be able to push this plan through."
Then came a parting shot. "If (Infantino) wants to watch Fiji against Cape Verde at the World Cup, then let him do so," he concluded sarcastically.
His comments land amid mounting European resistance to Infantino's latest plans, chief among them a project to sell a share of the World Cup's commercial rights to private-sector investors.
That proposal has triggered a wave of criticism across the continent. European voices want the tournament's independence protected, not turned into an investment asset.