Blatter says Qatar World Cup 2022 case is closed

FIFA president Sepp Blatter said on Saturday that Qatar will definitely host the World Cup in 2022, adding that the case was now closed.

Having launched new anti-corruption measures in October, Blatter again defended the choice of surprise winners Qatar for the 2022 World Cup against outside criticism.

“The 2022 World Cup will be in Qatar and I don’t know who can change this decision,” said Blatter, responding to remarks made by new Australia soccer boss Frank Lowy. “I personally will intervene if FIFA executive members continue with such declarations (accusations). I understand about the incident in Australia but the case is closed now,” he added in comments published by Reuters. He added: “The World Cup shall be accessible to all cultures and it was time … to bring it to the Arab world.”

Lowy was quoted last month as saying the tiny Gulf state, whose bid was dogged by corruption allegations, could still be stripped of the 2022 finals. Earlier this month, German football federation (DFB) president Theo Zwanziger also reiterated his criticism of the decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, saying normal hosting criteria had been “perverted”.

“I have never understood, how such a small country is allowed to stage the most important sports event in the world, especially as Qatar was last in the rankings before the decision,” Zwanziger told reporters. “The criteria for host nations have been perverted,” added the German, who has been a vocal critic of the decision. “I have my doubt as to whether sporting aspects were fully taken into account.”

Qatar’s bid leaders strongly denied any wrong-doing but emotions still run high as the beleaguered FIFA president did his best fire-fighting job. Blatter also said that he had “regrets” following a scandal-tainted year, saying that announcing the choices for the 2018 and 2022 at the same time may have been a mistake.

“This is a justified question after a year of ups and downs,” Blatter told reporters after a FIFA executive committee meeting in Tokyo on the sidelines of the Club World Cup. “It was not the best and most intelligent decision of FIFA to announce the two World Cup simultaneously,” said the 75-year-old on the eve of Barcelona’s final with Santos in Yokohama. “It was wrong and it caused a lot of disturbances earlier this year,” he added of the controversy and subsequent blaze of corruption revelations triggered by the choices.

“The past is past and we have to look forward. The boat is still not in still waters but we are bringing it back to port. Regrets, yes. But you can’t live in regret. You can have regrets but you can’t go back and change the past. You must have have a positive approach and I have the energy to go forward and bring back the credibility of FIFA and take care of public opinion.”

Blatter, re-elected for a fourth term in June unopposed after then Asian football chief Mohamed Bin Hammam was booted out of FIFA in a cash-for-votes scandal, has his work cut out.

source: Arabian Business

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