Sepp Blatter admits that Qatar WC ‘may have been a mistake’
FIFA boss says that he will push FIFA Executive Committee to endorse winter World Cup
RELATED ARTICLES: Sepp Blatter plans to push for winter World Cup in Qatar | Qatar to invest $200bn into construction by 2022 | Patent holder for Qatar stadium cooling technology issues copyright warning FIFA president Sepp Blatter has expressed doubts over Qatar hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup for the first time after admitting that ‘it may have been a mistake’ awarding them the event, and admitted that he would back a winter World Cup. Blatter’s comments came in an interview with insideworldfootball.com, where he was asked if Qatar should have been awarded the event. However, he added that he was hopeful of persuading the game’s senior figures to move the Qatar World Cup to winter, rather than have matches played in 50 degree heat in the summer. A final decision will only be made in October, and Blatter said that would try to get his proposal for the switch endorsed by the FIFA Executive Committee. “It may well be that we made a mistake at the time,” he said in the interview. “On the other hand, you must also consider political and geo-political realities. The World Cup is FIFA’s biggest, if not only, global event. Who are we, the Europeans, to demand that this event has to cater to the needs of 800 million Europeans above all? “I think it is high time that Europe starts to understand that we do not rule the world anymore, and that some former European imperial powers can no longer impress their will on to others in faraway places. “We must accept that football has moved away from being a European and South American sport, it has become the world sport that billions of fans are excitedly following every week, everywhere in the world.” Regarding his plan to switch the event to winter, he said: “After many discussions, deliberations and critical review of the entire matter, I came to the conclusion that playing the World Cup in the heat of Qatar’s summer was simply not a responsible thing to do. “First, we need to see whether the owner of the FIFA World Cup – FIFA – actually agrees with my recommendation, one that I shall table at the October 3/4 ExCo meeting, and whether it follows my advice to change the dates from summer to winter. “Once the Executive Committee of FIFA has agreed to that, we can take the next step. “The next steps will include a close look at the international calendar and to establish what consequences the change would have. And we would naturally need to speak to and consult with all interested parties and stakeholders.”
