By Victor Kanayo
Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter has described the award of Qatar as host of 2022 World Cup as “a mistake”.
He admitted that the original decision was to hold the quadrenial tournament in the US.
Blatter, who led FIFA between 1998 and 2015, was in charge when the decisions over the 2018 and 2022 host countries were made, with the latter edition set to begin this month.
According to Eurosport, Blatter, who also questioned current FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s decision to base himself in Qatar, was cleared from corruption charges earlier this year relating to his time at FIFA, but remains banned from football until 2027 for multiple breaches of FIFA’s ethics code.
Blatter’s comments will add further unease to the tournament’s build-up, with many in the game highlighting issues surrounding migrant workers, human rights and gender equality in Qatar.
The first match of the event sees Qatar host Ecuador on November 20, with the final taking place in Doha on December 20.
England play their first game against Iran on November 21.
Arsenal and England centre-back Lotte Wubben-Moy has revealed she will not be watching the World Cup, as a result of the Lionesses “strong values not being reflected in Qatar”.
Beth Mead is another England star to have spoken out about the issues, calling Qatar’s ban on homosexuality “the complete opposite to what I believe and respect”.
