Infamous ex-FIFA President Sepp Blatter claims that the decision to award Qatar the 2022 World Cup hosting rights was a mistake.
The controversy around Qatar is not just over yet. Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter has once again pointed out that Qatar was not the best option as host for the World Cup this month.
Human rights violations, same-sex relationship limitations, and corruption are some of the controversies marring the current World Cup hosts.
Blatter had been FIFA president for 17 years and was part of the executive committee that awarded Qatar the World Cup hosting rights in 2010.
In the 92-year history of the World Cup, this is the first time that the tournament will be hosted in the Middle East. In an interview with Swiss newspaper, Tages-Anzeiger Blatter noted, “At the time, we actually agreed in the executive committee that Russia should get the 2018 World Cup and the USA that of 2022. It would have been a gesture of peace if the two long-standing political opponents had hosted the World Cup one after the other.
“It’s too small a country. Football and the World Cup are too big for that.”
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Sepp Blatter reportedly noted that former UEFA Chief Michel Platini was at fault after a meeting with then-French president Nicolas Sarkozy and the Crown Prince of Qatar. Blatter noted, “So I couldn’t count on Platini anymore. It came out exactly like this: Thanks to Platini’s four votes and his people, the World Cup went to Qatar instead of the USA. That’s the truth.”
The former FIFA President also took a dig at the current President, Gianni Infantino questioning his move to Qatar with his family,
“What I’m wondering: why is the new Fifa president living in Qatar?
“He can’t be the head of the local World Cup organization. That’s not his job.
“The Fifa President should have the ultimate supervision.
“For example, there is a proposal to set up a fund for the deceased workers and the bereaved.
“Qatar says no. What should Fifa say if their president is in the same boat as Qatar?”
Blatter was forced to resign in 2015 after allegations of a transfer of $2.19m to former UEFA Chief Michel Platini.
In March last year, Sepp Blatter was handed an additional ban, until 2028, for ‘various violations’ of FIFA’s code of ethics.
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