Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter admits it was a 'MISTAKE' to award the World Cup to Qatar

Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter has said that awarding the World Cup to Qatar was a "mistake" since the country is "too small" to host the massive event.

The awarding of the prestigious championship to Qatar in 2010 was met with considerable controversy following suspicions that the country paid bribes to acquire the right to host the tournament - while the start date has been moved to the winter to avoid players competing in hot conditions.

The hosts have also faced criticism for the country's human rights record and anti-LGBTQ policies, with many countries vowing to take a stand against prejudice when they arrive in Qatar this November. Blatter was president of FIFA in 2010, when its executive council controversially chose to give Russia and Qatar the hosting rights for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, respectively.

He said that giving Qatar the honor of hosting owing to its size was a mistake, and that the United States was FIFA's favored host for the 2022 edition before being handed the 2026 format. 'The choice of Qatar was a mistake,' Blatter admitted to the Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger. 'At the time, we genuinely agreed in the executive committee that Russia should host the 2018 World Cup and the United States should host the 2022 World Cup.' If the two long-standing political rivals had hosted the World Cup one after the other, it would have been a sign of goodwill. 'Qatar is only a small country.' Football and indeed the World Cup are far too big.'



When asked if he felt guilty for Qatar's World Cup win, he responded, 'For me, it is clear: Qatar is a mistake.' The decision was poor. A publication on TIME.com also high mentions "FIFA president Sepp Blatter says it was a “mistake” to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar because of the country’s excruciatingly hot summer weather."



Earlier report by TIME, projected the the inhuman treatments that migrant workers were put in regard to building the stadiums for Qatar with thousands dying to this effect. In 2014 Sepp Blatter said that the welfare of migrant workers in Qatar is the responsibility of the companies who hire them, not Fifa.



But will this change anything now that the largest football tournament in the world is about to take place? We can only hope that Qatar hosts this World Cup with grace without any recorded casualties or bloodshed to football fans and tourist visiting the host nation in reference to the world cup.

Sepp Blatter admits awarding Qatar the World Cup was a mistake 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/gR7WtoSzJv

— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) November 8, 2022

Reference

1. | Sepp Blatter: Awarding the World Cup to Qatar Was a 'Mistake' | https://time.com/102471/sepp-blatter-awarding-the-world-cup-to-qatar-was-a-mistake/
2. | Disgraced former FIFA president Sepp Blatter admits it was a 'MISTAKE' to award the World Cup to Qatar - less than two weeks before the tournament starts - as he says the country is 'too small' and reveals USA were preferred 2022 hosts | https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-11402757/Former-FIFA-president-Sepp-Blatter-claims-MISTAKE-award-World-Cup-Qatar.html
3. | Sepp Blatter admits ‘Qatar was a mistake’ on eve of World Cup | https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup/world-cup-2022-qatar-fifa-sepp-blatter-b2220173.html
4. | https://i.guim.co.uk/img/static/sys-images/Sport/Pix/columnists/2014/12/2/1417537964922/Sepp-Blatter--012.jpg?width=1200&height=630&quality=85&auto=format&fit=crop&overlay-align=bottom%2Cleft&overlay-width=100p&overlay-base64=L2ltZy9zdGF0aWMvb3ZlcmxheXMvdGctYWdlLTIwMTQucG5n&enable=upscale&s=45b101f0fac488d54c82e9a2512d31d9
5. | Sepp Blatter: Qatar World Cup workers’ welfare is not Fifa’s responsibility | https://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/dec/02/sepp-blatter-fifa-responsibility-workers-qatar-world-cup
6.| FIFA scandal: What comes after Sepp Blatter's resignation? | https://edition.cnn.com/2015/06/03/football/fifa-sepp-blatter-what-next/index.html
. |