The President of FIFA, Swiss Gianni Infantino, sent a subtle message to his predecessor Joseph Blatter in a post congratulating the Italian national team on the anniversary of their 2006 World Cup victory. Italy secured the World Cup title in 2006 against France in a thrilling final held on July 9 at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin, where the teams resorted to penalties after finishing the regular and extra time tied at 1-1.
Infantino wrote via his Instagram account to congratulate Italy on their latest World Cup title: "Seventeen years ago, Italy won the 2006 World Cup, providing the Italians and football fans around the world with unforgettable moments." He added: "The Azzurri won the World Cup for the fourth time in a penalty shootout against France," then remarked, delivering a veiled jab at Blatter: "I would have rewarded them, I would have been proud of that."
This message alludes to the controversies at the time, which led to Blatter, then FIFA President, not awarding the trophy to the Italian team. Blatter has since apologized to Italy over a year after the incident, stating in remarks to The Associated Press: "History will say that the FIFA president made a mistake by not crowning the Italian team as world champions, and in fact, that was a mistake." He added: "I already apologized to the Italian officials right after the final match," confirming that his decision to skip the award ceremony was made before the final game to avoid a new crisis with the German audience.
