Sepp Blatter suggests Fifa had agreed to award World Cups to Russia and USA before vote

Blatter's deal: The outgoing president claims to have agreed World Cup hosts prior to the voting process
(FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images)
James Benge28 October 2015

Sepp Blatter has suggested that Fifa had agreed to award the 2018 World Cup to Russia before the bidding process.

The suspended president blamed Michel Platini for the surprise decision to host the 2022 tournament in Qatar. He said that it had been agreed the tournament would take place in the USA until the Uefa head backed a rival bid.

Blatter provided no further explanation on who had “agreed” to award the tournament to Russia. The bidding process for both the 2018 and 2022 events is currently under investigation by the Serious Fraud Office, however Blatter offered his assurance that the hosts would not be stripped of the tournament.

He told Russian news agency Tass: “In 2010 we had a discussion of the World Cup and then we went to a double decision. For the World Cups it was agreed that we go to Russia because it’s never been in Russia, eastern Europe, and for 2022 we go back to America. And so we will have the World Cup in the two biggest political powers.

Fifa corruption in focus

“And everything was good until the moment when (French president Nicolas) Sarkozy came in a meeting with the crown prince of Qatar, who is now the ruler of Qatar (Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani). And at a lunch afterwards with Mr. Platini he said it would be good to go to Qatar. And this has changed all pattern.

“There was an election by secret ballot. Four votes from Europe went away from the USA and so the result was fourteen to eight. If you put the four votes, it would have been twelve to ten. If the USA was given the World Cup, we would only speak about the wonderful World Cup 2018 in Russia and we would not speak about any problems at FIFA.”

The outgoing president praised Russian preparations for the tournament as the “best”, lambasting the British media as “bad losers” after the English bid was eliminated in the first round of voting.

“In Great Britain they have made this beautiful game, they have introduced fair play. But there was only one vote going for England. They were eliminated in the first round. Nobody wanted to have England.”

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