You’re only about three and a half years too late there Sepp.
There have been too many low points during Sepp Blatter’s reign as FIFA President to list them here, but he arguably reached rock bottom today when admitting that the decision to award the 2022 FIFA World Cup to Qatar was ‘a mistake’.
There were, of course, any amount of people willing to tell Blatter and the FIFA executive committee that it was a mistake both before and after the decision to award the World Cup to Qatar was taken in December 2010, but Blatter has waited until now to admit something that has been staring him and everyone else blue in the face for ages.
“Of course, it was a mistake,” Blatter responded when asked that very question by Swiss Channel RTS.
“You know, one makes a lot of mistakes in life.
“The technical report indicated clearly that it was too hot in summer, but despite that the executive committee decided with quite a big majority that the tournament would be in Qatar,” he added.
It’s one thing admitting that, for example, having that a big lunch just before dinner was ‘a mistake’; it’s a whole other thing admitting that the decision to stage the biggest sporting tournament in the world in a country probably not suitable for hosting it for a number of reasons is a mistake when the decision can’t really be reversed at this stage.
Blatter’s admission just adds to what has been a mess since the get-go, with reports of corruption in the bidding process and shoddy treatment of labourers during construction of match venues and other tournament infrastructure also contributing to the shambolic organisational process.
It is already very likely that the tournament is likely to be staged in winter – FIFA secretary Jerome Valcke admitted as much earlier in the year – so we also can expect the schedules of pretty much every European league to alter dramatically for a few years to accommodate it when the time comes around.
But at least you admitted it was a mistake Sepp, so you know, well done on that.
