Qatar 2022 World Cup award may be a mistake, says Sepp Blatter

[Dan]

I think the other sides they beat to it were Japan & Ausralia. Japan understandable as they've just had one (although I'd give it to them again before I'd give it to Qatar), Australia would've been a quality host IMO.

[21st Century Fox]

The sharing the World Cup with the rest of the World argument would have slightly more credence if the country they chose didn't have a smaller population than West Yorkshire yet a per capita GDP greater than the U.K.. France and Germany put together.

[Kitchandro]

FIFA is just full of lovely blokes who really want to give those repressed Qatari folk a chance to bask in the joy of football. Sharing is caring.

 

Sepp is Father Christmas in disguise.

[Guest MattP]

He should be dismissed just for giving it to a country like Qatar anyway with their human rights record. Let alone all the other problems that go with it.

[James.]

Pretty sure there is no way they will give it to a different country which means there are 3 options:

 

1. Go ahead as planned. Everyone dies of heat stroke.

 

2. Move it to winter. Massive disruption to domestic seasons. Probable protests from clubs across Europe / the World.

 

3. Bring it forward slightly. April and May particularly in the evenings are substantially cooler.

 

Option 3 looks sensible to avoid most disruption.

 

Quite how Blatter has remained in power is astonishing. If he's being bribed he has to go and if he's not being bribed he's making absolutely ludicrous decisions. Either way he's clearly not fit to run FIFA. Bonkers.

[Nick]

[yorkie1999]

Blatter must be the only person to even consider staging a world cup in a country that has only got one off licence and could be a nuclear wasteland by the time its held.

[Dan]

Blatter must be the only person to even consider staging a world cup in a country that has only got one off licence and could be a nuclear wasteland by the time its held.

 

Blatter would host it on Mars is Martians bribed him enough.

[Soar Fox]

Would have absolutely loved Australia to have hosted it.

[Kitchandro]

Pretty sure there is no way they will give it to a different country which means there are 3 options:

 

1. Go ahead as planned. Everyone dies of heat stroke.

 

2. Move it to winter. Massive disruption to domestic seasons. Probable protests from clubs across Europe / the World.

 

3. Bring it forward slightly. April and May particularly in the evenings are substantially cooler.

 

Option 3 looks sensible to avoid most disruption.

 

Quite how Blatter has remained in power is astonishing. If he's being bribed he has to go and if he's not being bribed he's making absolutely ludicrous decisions. Either way he's clearly not fit to run FIFA. Bonkers.

 

I don't want it in April or May. I want the end of season in April and May.

 

If we have to cancel the world cup so be it. It won't be a proper world cup anyway, just like this year's grand national wasn't a proper one.

 

No option that involves Qatar staging the world cup is acceptable.

[James.]

I don't want it in April or May. I want the end of season in April and May.

If we have to cancel the world cup so be it. It won't be a proper world cup anyway, just like this year's grand national wasn't a proper one.

No option that involves Qatar staging the world cup is acceptable.

Well yes I'd like to have my way with Susanna Reid on the BBC Breakfast sofa but doesn't mean it's going to happen. I'm talking about realistic alternatives. I don't see cancelling it or moving it as realistic (unfortunately).

[Kitchandro]

Well yes I'd like to have my way with Susanna Reid on the BBC Breakfast sofa but doesn't mean it's going to happen. I'm talking about realistic alternatives. I don't see cancelling it or moving it as realistic (unfortunately).

 

You're talking about a sensible option. Playing the world cup in Qatar is not sensible by any stretch of the imagination. It's corrupt and reckless.

 

You may be right that the world cup won't get cancelled or moved.

 

But in that case, we will have to accept that there is no way of saving it. The best I could hope for then would be a tournament that didn't affect our national game.

 

In which case play it in the summer I say. Maybe if several footballers have strokes Blatter will be forced to resign.

[act smiley]

Quite how Blatter has remained in power is astonishing. If he's being bribed he has to go and if he's not being bribed he's making absolutely ludicrous decisions. Either way he's clearly not fit to run FIFA. Bonkers.

 

 

Read the OP then read this

http://www.goal.com/en/news/13/united-states/2013/01/01/3639686/sepp-blatter-criticises-major-league-soccer-for-lack-of

Hypocrite.

"Speaking to Al Jazeera TV" ... that would be the notedly anti-American (who, incidentally, were also bidding for 2022), official state broadcaster of where, exactly???

Sure, he'll sometimes make crazy statements and claims, but virtually all of them have some sort of very shrewd political reasoning behind them.

It's all about reinforcing his support base ahead of the 2015 election. Blatter doesn't care about what the state of MLS is - the World Cup TV rights are becoming a big deal over there and don't depend on it being a huge success vs. a moderate one - as if he did he'd be well informed enough to know that his comments around the calendar are dumb. He cares about being able to play to the crowd there a bit while putting a bit of a "don't think you can have this" message to the Americans and a couple of digs about the "FIFA Calendar" that presumably are aimed at the Premier League with 2022 in mind (as the summer season is obviously fine in Scandinavia and has been a big benefit to MLS) .

 

There's a bunch of ways he can play out the 2022 thing when it comes to the 2015 election and I can't see him losing out because of any of them. The guy's a genius when it comes to dirty politics.

[lavrentis]

 

Russia is equally as bad. African sides are in genuine danger out there.

 

Huh.

[The Year Of The Fox]

'In breaking news this morning from 2022 the FIFA World Cup is to be abolished because Steve in Leicester doesnt watch it'

[Dan]

Huh.

 

I may be over-reacting but there are many fanbases in Russia who are actively racist. Is that really any good for a 'world' cup?

[bovril]

I may be over-reacting but there are many fanbases in Russia who are actively racist. Is that really any good for a 'world' cup?

 

Fan bases all over the world that are actively racist. Russia is behind the times in doing anything about it but they are starting to make progress. As the league grows in popularity and 'saleability' they'll eventually get rid of it as we have in England. To say it's dangerous for African sides is a tad over the top.

[Dan]

Fan bases all over the world that are actively racist. Russia is behind the times in doing anything about it but they are starting to make progress. As the league grows in popularity and 'saleability' they'll eventually get rid of it as we have in England. To say it's dangerous for African sides is a tad over the top.

 

True that, to be fair.

[Guest MattP]

Fan bases all over the world that are actively racist. Russia is behind the times in doing anything about it but they are starting to make progress. As the league grows in popularity and 'saleability' they'll eventually get rid of it as we have in England. To say it's dangerous for African sides is a tad over the top.

 

Even the most stupid Russian would realise the damage that would do to the country on a World scale, they will keep their racism to domestic football.

[Jordan]

"Speaking to Al Jazeera TV" ... that would be the notedly anti-American (who, incidentally, were also bidding for 2022), official state broadcaster of where, exactly???

Sure, he'll sometimes make crazy statements and claims, but virtually all of them have some sort of very shrewd political reasoning behind them.

It's all about reinforcing his support base ahead of the 2015 election. Blatter doesn't care about what the state of MLS is - the World Cup TV rights are becoming a big deal over there and don't depend on it being a huge success vs. a moderate one - as if he did he'd be well informed enough to know that his comments around the calendar are dumb. He cares about being able to play to the crowd there a bit while putting a bit of a "don't think you can have this" message to the Americans and a couple of digs about the "FIFA Calendar" that presumably are aimed at the Premier League with 2022 in mind (as the summer season is obviously fine in Scandinavia and has been a big benefit to MLS) .

There's a bunch of ways he can play out the 2022 thing when it comes to the 2015 election and I can't see him losing out because of any of them. The guy's a genius when it comes to dirty politics.

You're right, Sepp seems like he's talking out of his ass but there are methods to his madness.

Fox just bought the US TV rights to the 2018 and 2022 World Cups for over $1,000,000,000.

That last bit you wrote is spot on. Surely Blatter isn't enough of an idiot to know playing games in the NY, Boston and Chicago metro areas (let alone a few other MLS cities) from December-February would be moronic.

If anything, Blatter's two-faced comments only stir controversy in the US/UK and passions in Qatar. As the old saying goes, there is no such thing as bad news: we're talking daily about the World Cup that takes place 9 years from now, and all that attention has to be good for something.

[Webbo]

Nothing wrong with a bit of Blatter bashing but he didn't decide this on his own, there was a vote.

[Guest ttfn]

Nothing wrong with a bit of Blatter bashing but he didn't decide this on his own, there was a vote.

Right, and who do you think is the most powerful member of the Fifa Exco?

 

Whose patronage do you think helps get people voted onto the Fifa Exco?

 

And whose "tone from the top" message seems to be one which turns a blind eye to any allegations of corruption, unless of course it is in relation to his only opponent in a Presidential race?

I've given up caring about Fifa. In the run up to the 2018/2022 WC bids I got myself really worked up about it, read Andrew Jennings' "Foul!" and generally got pretty cross about the fact that there was a corrupt minority siphoning off money in increasingly ludicrous and obviously illicit ways. 

Then I put £50 on Russia winning the 2018 World Cup bid at 3/1 and realised it is what it is. Blatter and the rest of his cronies are absolutely untouchable. What it needs is for somebody who has served on the Exco to stand up and out Blatter, Valcke and the rest as the crooks they are. But they won't. Even the living Home Nations' representatives would rather sit on their hands and not speak up, so long as they keep getting their free tickets and (in the case of the current rep) place on the top table of Fifa's governing body.

 

The 2022 vote was so obviously rigged that it is not even worth mentioning. I'd go so far as to suggest that I am almost certain 2018 was rigged too. Let's not forget that the England bid was marked by Fifa's own inspectors as the very best bid there was for that tournament, and yet we crashed out with just 2 votes. The Portugal and Spain joint bid was streets ahead of Russia's in terms of technical merit, and yet was trounced in the final vote. 

 

The fact is that as long as Fifa is run by those who owe EVERYTHING they have to Blatter, they will vote the way Blatter wants. And what Blatter wants more than anything else is more tax-free profits for Fifa and more exorbitant expense accounts for himself.

Until somebody stands up and says what is going on or the clubs grow some balls and demand a breakaway, Fifa will continue to sit on its US$1 billion cash surplus and not invest on staging a proper World Cup and developing the game in an appropriate and meaningful way.

 

Still, at least Blatter's protege Platini's son landed himself a nice job at Qatar Sports Investments.

[Manwell Pablo]

Aussies are contemplating suing if their forced to play a winter tournament.

 

Most bitter people alive. Although FIFA deserve every bit of it. 

[lavrentis]

Aussies are contemplating suing if their forced to play a winter tournament.

 

Most bitter people alive. Although FIFA deserve every bit of it. 

 

Don't see why they should be moaning, they'll probably have one of the shortest stays in the tournament

[Guesty]

I'm not too worried, if I had to put money on it I doubt it will be played in Qatar in the winter. It will piss off and alienate too many people if they're forced to.

 

International football is on the decline whilst club football is on the incline and who knows what it might like in 9 years. If the Champions League and European Leagues and their clubs really dig their heels in a refuse to move because it will impact 3 seasons worth of football schedules there's little FIFA can do. They don't even have the bureaucratic legal argument because the vote was held for a Summer World Cup not a winter one. 

 

FIFA and Blatter have probably realised this which is why we're already seeing the beginning of a backtracking.

 

In regards to the Blatter bashing I was watching some sports journos on a show and they said they had it on good authority Blatter actually voted for USA in the vote. I hate the man and he is an utter sleazeball but it might just be this one isn't his fault. That being said it wouldn't suprise me if he orchestrated it all and was too thick to think of all the ramifications and is now putting out little lies to save himself from being remembered as a bigger clown than he already will be. 

 

They also said Platini did vote for Qatar. And we're all ****ed if that muppet takes over after Blatter.