The decision to give the 2022 World Cup to Qatar was a “mistake,” according to former Fifa president Sepp Blatter.
Blatter, 86, was president of the world football governing body in 2010 when Qatar was granted the World Cup.
The state in the Persian Gulf has been criticized for its attitude toward same-sex relationships, human rights records, and treatment of migrant workers.
Blatter stated that he was “correct” when he stated that the 2022 tournament “should not go” to Qatar.
Blatter stated in an interview with the Swiss newspaper Tages Anzeiger that Qatar is “too little” to host the tournament and that “football and the World Cup are too big for it.
The Qatar World Cup, which takes place from 20 November to 18 December, is the first to be held in the Middle East in the tournament’s 92-year history and the first to be held during the winter in the Northern Hemisphere.
Twelve years ago, the Fifa executive committee voted 14-8 for Qatar to host the tournament instead of the United States, while Russia was given the 2018 tournament.
Blatter claims he voted for the United States and blames former Uefa president Michel Platini for Qatar’s victory.
“As president at the time, I was responsible for this poor decision,” he stated.
“The World Cup was awarded to Qatar rather than the United States as a result of Platini and his team’s four votes. It is the fact.”
Blatter added that Fifa had modified the selection criterion for 2012 host nations in response to concerns over the treatment of migrant workers building World Cup venues in Qatar.
“Since then, societal factors and human rights are considered,” he continued.
Blatter served as Fifa president for 17 years but was forced to retire in 2015 due to claims that he illegally orchestrated the transfer of two million Swiss francs ($2.19m; £1.6m) to Platini, who was also forced to quit his Fifa position.
Fifa initially banned him from football for eight years but eventually shortened the term to six years due to the Platini payment. For “multiple infractions” of Fifa’s rule of ethics, he was banned until 2028 in March 2021.
Blatter and Platini were charged with fraud in November of last year, but a Swiss court declared them not guilty in July.
The awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar, respectively, has been plagued by allegations of extensive corruption, with two investigations opened in 2015 by Swiss prosecutors and the United States Department of Justice.
Qatar and Russia have long denied any wrongdoing, and Fifa’s investigation in 2017 effectively cleared both countries.
Recent correspondence from Fifa to competing nations urged them to “concentrate on the football” rather than the competition’s controversial build-up.
Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and LGBTQ+ activists in England and Wales criticized the Fifa letter, while 10 European football associations, including those of England and Wales, stated that “human rights are universal and apply to all”
There is concern regarding the treatment of LGBTQ+ individuals in Qatar, where same-sex relationships and the advocacy of same-sex relationships are criminalized and punishable by fines or the death penalty.
Since 2010, according to Amnesty International, hundreds of thousands of migrant workers have been subjected to human rights violations while working on the tournament’s infrastructure.
Some players have planned peaceful protests, while England’s Harry Kane and nine other European team captains will wear ‘One Love’ armbands. to encourage inclusivity and diversity.
Australia’s squad has made a video pushing Qatar to repeal its prohibitions on same-sex relationships.
