November 08, (THEWILL) – The decision to award Qatar the hosting rights for the 2022 World Cup finals was “a mistake” according to former FIFA president, Sepp Blatter.
As THEWILL reported, the Gulf state has received harsh criticism for its record on human rights and for refusing to recognise same-sex unions and civil partnerships. The build-up to the football tournament, which will begin later this month, has also been hampered by claims that migrant workers in Qatar have received bad treatment.
When Qatar was controversially given the right to host the 2022 finals in 2010, Blatter was President of the world football governing body. On Monday, speaking from Switzerland, the 86-year-old said: “The choice of Qatar was a mistake.
“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.”
Blatter admitted that he had cast his ballot in favour of the United States and that Michel Platini, the former president of UEFA, had played a role in Qatar’s victory. Blatter responded to a query about why he disagreed with Qatar hosting the finals: “It’s too small a country. Football and the World Cup are too big for that.”
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Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
