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Former FIFA President Says Awarding World Cup To Qatar Was A Mistake- What Were His Reasons?
Sepp Blatter, the disgraced former president of FIFA, asserted that awarding Qatar the World Cup was a “mistake” since the country is “too small” to host the enormous competition.
After claims that Qatar had paid bribes to win the right to host the event back in 2010, the granting of the prestigious competition was received with intense controversy. Additionally, the tournament’s start date was changed to the winter to save athletes from playing in oppressive heat.
The country’s record on human rights and its anti-LGBTQ laws have also drawn criticism for the hosts, and numerous countries have said that they will take a stand against discrimination when they visit Qatar in November.
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Ex-FIFA president Sepp Blatter has admitted it was a ‘mistake’ to award Qatar the World Cup
Due to claims that Qatar had purchased votes and the fact that the event was moved to the winter because of the sweltering weather, the decision was extremely divisive.
Blatter, who presided over FIFA from 1998 until 2015 before receiving a six-year suspension for corruption, gave his first interview since being exonerated of all charges in July.
Because of Qatar’s size, he stated, it was a mistake to award it the honor of hosting. He also asserted that FIFA had chosen the USA to host the 2022 edition before giving them the 2026 format.
Blatter told the Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger, “The decision to go with Qatar was a mistake.”
‘At the time, the executive committee actually decided that Russia should host the 2018 World Cup and the USA the 2022 edition. If the two bitter political rivals had alternately hosted the World Cup, it would have been a sign of peace.
Just weeks before the World Cup kicks off, Blatter said Qatar was too small to be a host
He insisted that he was responsible for it and stated that FIFA preferred the USA.
“It’s a tiny country.” The World Cup and football are too huge for that.
‘For me it is clear: Qatar is a mistake,’ he said in response to the question of whether he felt accountable for awarding Qatar the World Cup. The decision was poor.
What puzzles me is why Gianni Infantino, the new head of Fifa, resides in Qatar. He is ineligible to lead the local World Cup committee. That’s not what he does. Fifa and a local organizing body are both involved in this.
According to a SonntagsBlick investigation at the beginning of the year, Infantino had been renting a home in Doha, the capital of Qatar, since October 2021.
Later, FIFA maintained that Infantino divides his time working between Doha and Zurich, where the organization is headquartered, and that staying in Qatar helps him to concentrate on his World Cup preparations.
Blatter also criticised successor Gianni Infantino for living in Qatar ahead of the World Cup
In order to carry out his presidential duties and be nearer the FIFA World Cup, the FIFA President told the FIFA Council in October 2021 that he would split his presence between Zurich, Doha, and other locations across the world.
He will assist other FIFA employees at our Doha office as needed until the end of the competition, just like he did during the FIFA Arab Cup. For the avoidance of doubt, Mr. Infantino resides in Switzerland and is nonetheless obligated to pay taxes there.
It is not the first time Blatter has claimed that the awarding of the World Cup to Qatar was an error.
In 2014, he said: ‘Yes, it was a mistake of course, but one makes lots of mistakes in life. The technical report into Qatar said clearly it was too hot but the executive committee – with a large majority – decided, all the same, to play it in Qatar.’
