FIFA's Blatter planned for Russia and U.S. to host World Cups.

• published: 06 Nov 2015
• views: 1

EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT COMPRISES TASS AUDIO OVER REUTERS PICTURES FIFA president Sepp Blatter says he planned for Russia and the United States to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups and blamed UEFA president Michel Platini for Qatar's bid victory over the Americans. SHOWS: ZURICH, SWITZERLAND (RECENT) (TASS - NO ARCHIVE) FIFA president Sepp Blatter planned for Russia and the United States to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups and blamed UEFA president Michel Platini for Qatar's bid victory over the Americans. In an interview with Russian news agency TASS in which he took aim at Platini for playing a part in what he called attacks on him, Blatter portrayed the double World Cup vote, held in 2010, as the catalyst for crisis at global soccer's governing body. It triggered the worst scandal in FIFA's history, with 14 soccer officials and sports marketing executives indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice in May for bribery, money laundering and wire fraud in an ongoing multi-million-dollar investigation. Blatter and Platini are both serving 90-day suspensions imposed by FIFA's Ethics Committee which is looking into a 2 million Swiss franc ($2.03 million) payment Blatter made to Platini in 2011 - a case that is also part of a separate Swiss criminal investigation. "We had a discussion of the World Cup and then we went to a double decision," Blatter told TASS. "For the World Cups it was agreed that we go to Russia (for 2018)... and for 2022 we go back to America. And so we will have the World Cup in the two biggest political powers." Blatter said a lunch between Platini, senior Qatari officials and then French president Nicolas Sarkozy led to a change of heart by the UEFA president. "There was an election by secret ballot. Four votes from Europe went away from the USA... If the USA was given the World Cup, we would only speak about the wonderful World Cup 2018 in Russia and ...not about any problems," he told the Russian news agency. Blatter's spokesman, Klaus Stoehlker said he spoke to Blatter following the interview and the Swiss stressed there had been no agreement before the vote of the FIFA executive committee, but rather that it was his personal wish was for Russia and the United States to be hosts. Platini has said he had a lunch with Sarkozy and Qatari officials but denied he was told by his country's president to vote for the Gulf state. In the interview, Blatter said he was a "ball in a big political power game", adding Russia would never lose the 2018 tournament despite calls from some in Britain. Blatter, who has been president of FIFA since 1998, said politics was behind attacks on him that followed the indictment of 14 soccer officials and sports marketing executives by U.S. prosecutors. "At the beginning it was only a personal attack. It was Platini against me. He started it, but then it became politics," he said. "And when it is in politics, it is not any longer Platini against me. It is then those who have lost the World Cup." Denouncing England as "bad losers" after missing out in the 2018 vote, Blatter said Russia's preparations for the tournament were going well, praising President Vladimir Putin. "They (the Russian organising committee for the 2018 World Cup) are not good, they are the best. And they are working hard and they have the support. One year ago I spoke with your Foreign Minister (Sergei) Lavrov the same day I spoke with Putin. Vladimir Vladimirovich is a good friend of Joseph Josephovich." Blatter said he regretted not standing down as he initially planned in 2014 because he was urged by five of the six confederations to stay on. Blatter said FIFA's Ethics Committee, whose decision over his suspension he is appealing, had bowed to media pressure to remove him. "Unfortunately, Platini was in the same boat," he said. After 17 years in soccer's top job, Blatter said he hoped he would be cleared in time to lead FIFA's congress on Feb. 26, which will elect a new leader. "This is my wish," he said. ($1 = 0.9839 Swiss francs)