- FIFA denies Sepp Blatter said Qatar unfit to hold World Cup
- Blatter said it was a 'mistake' to organize summer tournament in Gulf State
- FIFA president made comments in interview with Swiss media
(CNN) -- FIFA has moved quickly to deny claims its president, Sepp Blatter, suggested Qatar is unfit to host the 2022 World Cup -- despite his admission that it was "a mistake" to schedule a summer tournament in the Gulf State.
Blatter, who oversees the game's global governing body, appeared to cast doubt over Qatar's right to welcome the football world, following an interview with a Swiss television station Friday.
When asked by RTS if it was an error to award Qatar the World Cup, Blatter said: "Of course, it was a mistake. You know, one makes a lot of mistakes in life.
Former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner has dismissed allegations that he received payments from ex-Qatari football officials after the emirate won the right to host the 2022 World Cup as "foolishness." Warner resigned from FIFA in 2011 after he was accused of accepting bribes. 
The announcement by FIFA in 2010 that Qatar would host the 2022 World Cup finals has brought greater exposure for the tiny emirate. 
It has also placed world governing body FIFA under pressure as to just when the tournament will be held. The organization's secretary general Jerome Valcke says he expects the 2022 World Cup to be played between November and January. 
Previously FIFA, whose president is Sepp Blatter, has insisted no decision on when the 2022 World Cup will be played would be taken until after the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. 
It's not just when the 2022 World Cup will be played that has caused Qatar and FIFA problems. Qatar has come under pressure over the plight of the country's migrant workers, who make up 90 per cent of Qatar's population. 
This has been been highlighted by the International Trade Union Confederation, which has criticized Qatar's system of sponsorship which ties workers to employers and has been abused in the past. The ITUC also point to the high number of worker deaths and the conditions that many find themselves in. Temperatures on building sites in the summer months can hit 50 degree Celcius. 
Football players' rights have also been issue in Qatar, which was recently highlighted by the case of Zahir Belounis. 
Qatar's ambitious plans for the 2022 World Cup include building brand new, state of the art stadiums that would rival any in the world. 
To combat the intense desert heat in the summer, each stadium would be equipped with zero carbon cooling technology that would cool the pitch and the stands. 
But costs have spiraled and the technology has yet to be successfully deployed in full. 
So the waiting goes on. At what time of year will the 2022 World Cup be staged? 2022 World Cup in Qatar 
FIFA president Sepp Blatter's 2011 remarks on racism in football -- that on-pitch abuse can be solved with a handshake -- were just one of a series of controversial quotes to be attributed to the head of world soccer. 
In 2004, Blatter -- seen here with Brazil star Marta -- angered female footballers with his suggestion for how the women's game could be made more appealing. "They could, for example, have tighter shorts," said the Swiss. "Let the women play in more feminine clothes like they do in volleyball." 
In 2010, when England captain John Terry, who is married, was reported to have slept with the partner of his former Chelsea teammate Wayne Bridge, Blatter responded: "If this had happened in, let's say, Latin countries then I think he would have been applauded." 
In 2008 Blatter was ridiculed after defending the desire of Manchester United's highly-paid star Cristiano Ronaldo to join Real Madrid. He said: "I think in football there's too much modern slavery in transferring players or buying players here and there, and putting them somewhere." In 2013 he had to apologize to Ronaldo after a bizarre impersonation of the Madrid star. 
Blatter performed a U-turn on the use of goal-line technology and apologized to the English Football Association after an incorrect decision during the 2010 World Cup. Despite replays showing a shot from England's Frank Lampard had clearly crossed the line in the last-16 clash with Germany, the goal was not awarded. 
Blatter had earlier refused to take action when Thierry Henry's blatant handball denied the Republic of Ireland a place at the 2010 World Cup finals. Even the France striker admitted the fairest solution was to replay the playoff match. 
In December 2010, Blatter was heavily criticized for suggesting gay football fans should "refrain from sexual activity" if they wished to attend the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal. Blatter later apologized and said it had not been his intention to offend or discriminate. 
Blatter clashed with fellow members of FIFA's executive committee when he suggested the 2022 FIFA World Cup could be played in January to avoid high temperatures in Qatar. He said the move would "protect the players and also the spectators." Qatar flatly rejected Blatter's suggestion at the time, but FIFA is now reviewing whether to adopt it. 
In December 2010 Blatter insisted that FIFA was "not corrupt ... there are no rotten eggs" despite two of his executive committee members -- Amos Adamu, pictured, and Reynald Temarii -- being suspended for accepting bribes in the lead-up to the vote for awarding hosting rights for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. He called England "bad losers" after losing out to Russia. 
Blatter stood unopposed for re-election in July after his former ally Mohamed bin Hammam quit the race days before the ballot after being accused of offering cash for votes. The Qatari, a top FIFA official, has been banned from football. 
Blatter faced a criminal investigation after winning the 2002 FIFA presidential election, being accused of financial mismanagement by 11 former members of the ruling body's executive committee, including his 1998 election rival Lennart Johansson, right. However, prosecutors dropped the case due to a lack of evidence. 
In January 2013, AC Milan midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng led his team off the pitch after being subjected to racist chanting. His actions were hailed across the world. But Blatter was more cautious about the issue, refusing to support the move. "I don't think you can run away, because eventually you can run away if you lose a match," he said in an interview with a newspaper in the UAE. "This issue is a very touchy subject, but I repeat there is zero tolerance of racism in the stadium; we have to go against that." Others, like AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi, have disagreed with him. "I am of the opposite view (to Blatter)," said Berlusconi. "I thanked and congratulated my players for their decision to leave the field." 
Blatter: A controversial leader "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."
In October 2013, Blatter set up an executive committee taskforce to examine whether the World Cup in Qatar should be switched to winter because of extreme summer temperatures.
A decision is expected to be made following the conclusion of the upcoming World Cup in Brazil.
Blatter's comments sparked a frenzy on social media and led to criticism of the 78-year-old and the organization's decision to award the tournament to Qatar.
But speaking to CNN, a FIFA spokesman said: "The comment by the FIFA President concerning the organization of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar to Swiss TV station RTS is in line with previous comments on this matter.
Blatter admits it was a mistake to award WC to @Qatar in '22 as it's too hot in summer. You have one decision to make every 4 years! HELP!!
â€" Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) May 16, 2014" As explained in his answer to the journalist, the president reiterated that the decision to organize the World Cup in summer was an 'error' based on the technical assessment report of the bid, which had highlighted the extremely hot temperatures in summer in Qatar.
"At no stage did he question Qatar as the host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup."
Harold Mayne-Nicholls led the FIFA inspection team which examined each of the bidding countries for the 2022 World Cup before delivering his report in October 2010.
Mayne-Nicholls concluded that Qatar was a high-risk option because of its soaring temperatures -- but it was still chosen by 14 of the 22 executive committee members in the final round of voting in December that year.
"In June and July you cannot play," Mayne-Nicholls told CNN last November when asked about the conditions in Qatar.
"It's not for the players. The players will be OK with the cooling system but what about the fans?
"You'll have 50,000 fans walking three, four, even six blocks or more like in South Africa where I walked 10 blocks.
"They will be walking in 40 degrees and it's too much. One or two crucial cases will damage the entire image of the World Cup and we must be careful."
If the World Cup was to be held between November and January, it would probably create a logistical headache for many major European leagues -- such as the English Premier League -- and for the prestigious Champions League, organized by the continent's UEFA confederation.
American broadcaster Fox, which paid $425 million for the rights to broadcast the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, has expressed concern that a "winter" World Cup could clash with the National Football League's regular season and the Super Bowl.
The decision to award Qatar football's showpiece event has drawn widespread condemnation and focused attention on workers' rights in the state.
Imagine the shock at FIFA HQ when, 2 years after the vote, someone spotted that Qatar's a tad warm in summer.
â€" Gary Lineker (@GaryLineker) May 16, 2014A report released by Amnesty International last November alleged that the abuse of migrant workers was rife within Qatar's construction sector, while British newspaper The Guardian likened the conditions for such workers to "modern-day slavery."
The furor which surrounded "stranded" footballer Zahir Belounis also raised questions regarding Qatar's Kafala law.
Blatter himself described the conditions for migrant workers in Qatar as "unacceptable," but has so far refused to entertain the idea of moving the 2022 competition to another location.
In response to Amnesty's allegations, the director of the Human Rights Department at Qatar's Foreign Ministry said laws are in place to protect workers from mistreatment.
No comments:
Post a Comment