Former FIFA president, Blatter admits Qatar World Cup was a mistake

The

became under heavy criticism at the beginning of the year by concerns about low-paid migrant workers building the infrastructure in the Middle Eastern country. In addition, the tournament had to be placed in winter due to Qatar’s hot weather.

Speaking with the Swiss newspaper

, former FIFA president

Sepp Blatter

admitted he made a big mistake by allowing Qatar to hold a World Cup tournament. The Swissman said:

"The choice of Qatar was a mistake.

"At the time, we actually agreed in the executive committee that Russia should get the 2018 World Cup and the USA that of 2022. It would have been a gesture of peace if the two long-standing political opponents had hosted the World Cup one after the other.

"It's too small a country. Football and the World Cup are too big for that."

Blatter accepts the responsibility for shifting the tournament to November and December due to

the heat

. He added:

"I can only repeat: the award to Qatar was a mistake, and I was responsible for that as president at the time.

"Now that the World Cup is imminent, I'm glad that, with a few exceptions, no footballers are boycotting the World Cup.

"For me it is clear: Qatar is a mistake. The choice was bad. What I'm wondering: why is the new FIFA president [Gianni Infantino] living in Qatar? He can't be the head of the local World Cup organization. That's not his job. There are two organizing committees for this - a local one and one from FIFA."

Rejecting claims that

Russia

used the 2018 World Cup as a "propaganda platform", Blatter added:

"Many others also use sport for political purposes. I'm not a judge and I don't want to judge that.”

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