"Sepp Blatter admits Qatar World Cup decision was a \u2018mistake\u2019"

" Sepp Blatter admits Qatar World Cup decision was a \u2018mistake\u2019 \r\n\r\n Sepp Blatter has admitted the decision to award the World Cup to Qatar when he was FIFA president was a \u201cmistake\u201d. \r\n\r\n The build-up to this year\u2019s World Cup has been dogged by concerns about the suffering of low-paid migrant workers to build the infrastructure in the tiny Gulf nation and discriminatory laws that criminalise same-sex relations. \r\n\r\n Blatter, 86, was the boss of FIFA in 2010 when its executive committee controversially voted for the World Cup to be held in Russia and Qatar in 2018 and 2022 respectively. \r\n\r\n Blatter claims he did not vote for Qatar and instead wanted a \u201cgesture of peace\u201d by hosting the two tournaments in Russia and then the USA. \r\n\r\n \u201cThe choice of Qatar was a mistake,\u201d Blatter said in an interview with Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger, his first since being cleared of fraud charges in July following a \u00a31.7m payment to the former UEFA president Michel Platini. \r\n\r\n \u201cAt 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. \r\n\r\n \u201cIt\u2019s too small a country. Football and the World Cup are too big for that.\u201d \r\n\r\n The Qatar World Cup, which had to be moved to November and December due to heat, is now just two weeks away and Blatter accepts he is responsible for the tournament taking place there. \r\n\r\n \u201cI can only repeat: the award to Qatar was a mistake, and I was responsible for that as president at the time,\u201d he said. \r\n\r\n \u201cNow that the World Cup is imminent, I\u2019m glad that, with a few exceptions, no footballers are boycotting the World Cup. \r\n\r\n \u201cFor me it is clear: Qatar is a mistake. The choice was bad. What I\u2019m wondering: why is the new FIFA president [Gianni Infantino] living in Qatar? He can\u2019t be the head of the local World Cup organisation. That\u2019s not his job. There are two organising committees for this \u2013 a local one and one from FIFA.\u201d \r\n\r\n However, Blatter stopped short of regretting the decision to award Russia the World Cup following the country\u2019s invasion of Ukraine. \r\n\r\n Blatter said he is no longer in contact with Vladimir Putin and rejected claims Russia used the competition as a \u201cpropaganda platform\u201d. \r\n\r\n \u201cMany others also use sport for political purposes. I\u2019m not a judge and I don\u2019t want to judge that,\u201d he added "

"Sepp Blatter admits Qatar World Cup decision was a \u2018mistake\u2019"

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