Category: FIFA

Oops! Ex-FIFA president Blatter now says giving Qatar the World Cup was a ‘mistake’

Qatar defeated the United States in a now-infamous 14-8 vote

Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter has admitted that awarding Qatar the 2022 World Cup was, in his words, “a mistake.”

Blatter was in charge of FIFA during one of the most controversial moments in the governing body’s history when, on December 2, 2010, it awarded the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 World Cup to Qatar.

Now, two weeks before the World Cup kicks off, Blatter has said that he wishes the tournament was given to Qatar’s chief competitor, the United States.

“The choice of Qatar was a mistake,” Blatter said in an interview with Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger. “It was a bad choice. And I was responsible for that as president at the time.

“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.”

There have been a myriad of controversies surrounding Qatar’s human rights record, but Blatter highlighted a more logistical concern for the Middle East country.

“It’s too small a country,” he said. “Football and the World Cup are too big for that.”

Qatar is roughly the size of Connecticut and only has a population of around 2.8 million. Each of the eight stadiums that will host matches is located within a radius of 34 miles.

Blatter blames Sarkozy-Platini meeting

Searching for an explanation as to why Qatar was awarded the World Cup, Blatter spotlighted a now-infamous meeting between Nicolas Sarkozy and Michel Platini the week before the vote took place.

Sarkozy, who was president of France at the time and Platini, who was president of UEFA, were joined by the crown prince of Qatar, now the Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Blatter says that at that meeting, Sarkozy pressured Platini to convince the UEFA officials on the executive committee to vote for Qatar, not the United States.

“Thanks to the four votes of Platini and his [UEFA] team, the World Cup went to Qatar rather than the United States. It’s the truth,” Blatter said of a vote that ended up going in Qatar’s favor by a 14-8 margin.

Though Blatter regretted the choice of Qatar, he insisted that he did not feel the same way over awarding the 2018 World Cup to Russia.

“Many others also use sport for political purposes. I’m not a judge and I don’t want to judge that,” he added.

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Canada holds its breath as Alphonso Davies picks up hamstring injury in Bayern win

Canada’s worst fears ahead of the World Cup might be coming true

Canada’s return to the World Cup is at real risk of happening without their best-ever player.

Alphonso Davies left Bayern Munich’s 3-2 win over Hertha Berlin in the 64th minute holding the back of his right leg. Julian Nagelsmann said after the match that Davies has suffered a hamstring strain of unknown severity.

“According to the doctors, at first glance, it is at least a muscle tear. We’ll have to wait for further tests,” Nagelsmann told reporters following the match.

Canada has just eight days between Davies picking up his knock on Saturday and the FIFA-mandated deadline to submit their final World Cup squad, which falls on November 13. Bayern will have to run scans on the injury, which could be a minor strain that requires nothing more complicated than a few days off and some massage treatment.

It could also be more severe situation that keeps him out for weeks or even months, which would prevent John Herdman from bringing Davies to Qatar.

Canada needs good news

For Canada, losing Davies would be a potential catastrophe. They managed to get through much of the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying cycle without the 22-year-old, as a bout with Covid-19 became a struggle with myocarditis that lasted for four months earlier this year.

However, no team wants to enter a World Cup without their biggest star, and that’s especially so for a team that hasn’t played in the tournament in 36 years. The work-around for going without Davies is not simply plugging in another player on the left flank. Raheem Edwards or Richie Laryea would be solid options for that job, but Canada’s attacking threat in transition would take a significant step back without the next-level ability Davies has on the ball.

A Canadian team without their star would have to spread that attacking responsibility around the team. Tajon Buchanan’s success would be that much more important, while young midfielder Ismaël Koné’s ability to drive forward from central midfield will become all the more vital.

Even if Herdman can shuffle the deck without Davies, Canada’s chances in Group F are surely stronger with him than without. The coming days will be telling for their hopes.

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Netflix’s FIFA corruption documentary is coming just in time for the World Cup

The series promises to go in depth on how FIFA became a “criminal organization”

Netflix has released the trailer for its upcoming documentary “FIFA Uncovered,” which is set for a November 9 release on the streaming platform.

That date is just 11 days before kickoff of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which will be one of the biggest subjects for the limited series.

The trailer promises to explore some of FIFA’s most unseemly moments in the past decade-plus, including a bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups that has been irrevocably tainted by corruption.

The U.S. Department of Justice indicted 14 high-ranking soccer officials in 2015 on a range of charges that involved bribery, racketeering, fraud and money laundering.

Last year, the DOJ said for the first time that officials working directly for Russia’s 2018 bid and Qatar’s 2022 bid bribed FIFA officials in exchange for their votes.

Ken Bensinger, a New York Times reporter who wrote a book on FIFA corruption, said on Twitter that he’s been working with the upcoming documentary, which he promised would have “amazing access and big revelations.”

In the trailer, being a member of FIFA is described like being “in a secret garden” and the game’s governing body is described as a “criminal organization.”

Watch the trailer for ‘FIFA Uncovered’

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