Twelve years after presiding over the choice of Qatar to host this year’s World Cup tournament, former FIFA president, Sepp Blatter has admitted the world’s football governing body made a ‘bad choice’ settling for the Western Asian nation.
According to the 86-year-old Blatter, the decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar was a “mistake” as reported by the BBC
With the Gulf state being criticised for its stance on same-sex relationships, human rights record, and treatment of migrant workers, Blatter, told Swiss newspaper Tages Anzeiger, “It is too small of a country. Football and the World Cup are too big for it”.
Blatter, who was FIFA president when Qatar got the tournament’s hosting rights in 2010, said he voted for the United States and blamed then-UEFA President, Michel Platini for swinging the vote in Qatar’s favour.
“It was a bad choice and I was responsible for that as president at the time,” he said, adding; “Thanks to the four votes of Platini and his [UEFA] team, the World Cup went to Qatar rather than the United States. It’s the truth.”
Blatter also said FIFA had adjusted the criteria used to select host countries in 2012 after concerns were raised about the treatment of migrant workers building World Cup stadiums in Qatar, saying; “Since then, social considerations and human rights are taken into account”.
The Qatar World Cup, the first to be hosted in the Middle East in the tournament’s 92-year-history and the first during the Northern Hemisphere winter, will take place from 20 November to 18 December.
FIFA’s Executive Committee voted 14-8 for Qatar to host the tournament ahead of the United States 12 years ago, at the same time Russia was awarded the 2018 event. The decision to award the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar respectively has been dogged by accusations of widespread corruption.
In the process, two investigations were launched by Swiss prosecutors and the US Department of Justice in 2015. However, Qatar and Russia have always denied any wrongdoing, and both were effectively cleared by FIFA’s own investigation in 2017.
Blatter spent 17 years as FIFA president but was forced to step down in 2015 over allegations that he unlawfully arranged a transfer of two million Swiss francs ($2.19m; £1.6m) to Platini, who was also forced to resign from his position at FIFA.
He was originally banned from football by FIFA for eight years, later reduced to six, over the Platini payment. In March 2021, he then received an additional ban until 2028 for “various violations” of FIFA’s code of ethics.
Blatter and Platini were charged with fraud last November but were found not guilty at a trial in Switzerland in July.
