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Ex-FIFA chief Blatter says awarding Qatar World Cup was 'a mistake'

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Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="People gather at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 countdown clock on October 20, 2022, marking 30 days to go until the opening ceremony in Doha. Noushad Thekkayil, EPA-EFE" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/sports/10/26/20221026-qatar.jpg"/><figcaption>People gather at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 countdown clock on October 20, 2022, marking 30 days to go until the opening ceremony in Doha. <em>Noushad Thekkayil, EPA-EFE</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter says the decision to award the 2022 <a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/10/13/22/fans-warned-to-be-ready-for-world-cup-queues" target="_blank">World Cup finals</a> to Qatar was a &quot;mistake&quot;.</p><p>In 2010, FIFA&#x27;s executive committee voted 14-8 for Qatar to host the tournament ahead of the United States.</p><p>&quot;It was a mistake,&quot; Blatter said in an interview with AFP&#x27;s German sports subsidiary SID. &quot;It was based on a decision when I was president, and therefore I bear part of the responsibility for it.&quot;</p><p>Blatter says he voted for the United States to host the 2022 tournament and blames then-UEFA president Michel Platini for swinging the vote in Qatar&#x27;s favour at the behest of then-French president Nicolas Sarkozy.</p><p>Sarkozy had recommended to Platini &quot;that he and his people should vote for Qatar&quot;, Blatter said.</p><p>The former FIFA president&#x27;s version of events has been denied by Platini.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/11/04/22/world-cup-qatar-hospitals-will-not-ask-women-if-married">World Cup: Qatar hospitals will not ask women if married</a></li></ul><p>Platini told French investigators that while he attended a lunch at the Elysee Palace with Sarkozy and then-Qatari crown prince Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani shortly before the vote, &quot;the president (Sarkozy) never asked me to vote for one country or another, but I got the impression that he supported Qatar.&quot;</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/10/28/22/world-cup-will-help-qatar-battle-prejudice-fifa-head">World Cup will help Qatar battle &#x27;prejudice&#x27;: FIFA president</a></li></ul><p>The Qatar World Cup is the first to be held in the Middle East and the first during the Northern Hemisphere winter.</p><p>It takes place from November 20 to December 18.</p><p>The vote to award the tournament to Qatar was surrounded by accusations of corruption.</p><p>&quot;I didn&#x27;t care if someone was influenced here or there,&quot; Blatter said, adding that as the voting process went on, he realised that &quot;other forces were at work&quot;.</p><p>&quot;The Qataris didn&#x27;t give gifts to the people who were voting, they gave them to their countries,&quot; Blatter said.</p><p>Blatter was FIFA president for 17 years but was forced to step down in 2015 over allegations he unlawfully arranged a transfer of two million Swiss francs ($2.2 million) to Platini, who was also forced to resign from his position at FIFA.</p><p>FIFA initially banned Blatter from football for eight years, later reduced to six, over the payment to Platini. Blatter&#x27;s ban was extended to 2028 for violations of FIFA&#x27;s code of ethics.</p><p>Blatter and Platini were found not guilty of fraud at a trial in Switzerland in July.</p><div><strong>FROM THE ARCHIVES</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2129487" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

In 2010, FIFA's executive committee voted 14-8 for Qatar to host ahead of the US, whom Blatter says he voted.