Disgraced former FIFA president Sepp Blatter has admitted that awarding the 2022 FIFA World Cup to Qatar was a mistake.
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When Qatar were awarded the hosting rights to the 2022 edition of the World Cup in 2010, the head of world football’s governing body, FIFA, was Blatter.
As pressure continues to mount on the Gulf state about the reported suffering of low earning migrant workers and the criminalisation of same-sex relations days before the tournament begins, the 86-year-old has revealed that having the global showpiece in the Arab state was not a good idea.
The competition commences in just under two weeks, disrupting the traditional schedule of leagues across the world, but the Swiss former football executive insists that he did not vote for the competition to be held in Qatar and instead wanted it to be in the United States of America.
"The choice of Qatar was a mistake," Blatter told Switzerland based news outlet Tages-Anzeiger, his first interview since being exonerated of fraud charges after a £1.7 million (R34.6 million) payment was made to former UEFA president Michel Platini.
"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.
"I can only repeat: the award to Qatar was a mistake, and I was responsible for that as president at the time.
"Now that the World Cup is imminent, I'm glad that, with a few exceptions, no footballers are boycotting the World Cup."
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Blatter did, however, question why his successor as the head of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, is staying in Qatar if the organisation’s offices are in Europe.
"For me it is clear: Qatar is a mistake. The choice was bad. What I'm wondering: why is the new FIFA president [Gianni Infantino] living in Qatar? He can't be the head of the local World Cup organisation. That's not his job. There are two organising committees for this - a local one and one from FIFA."
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