Wrong choice. This is how Sepp Blatter described the World Cup in Qatar in an interview with a Swiss newspaper. Remarkably, because Blatter was then president of FIFA when Qatar was tasked with organizing the World Cup.
“It’s a shame that he shirks his responsibility,” says Peter Vandenbett. “At that time, Sepp Blatter’s ultimate ability was surely so great that if he had never wanted him to go to Qatar, it wouldn’t have happened.”
“Being right now is certainly right. It’s wrong. But Sepp Blatter, the man who defined everything in FIFA, is now jogging after more than 10 years, on the eve of the World Cup, I think. I bear witness to an improbable form of hypocrisy, which also doesn’t surprise me.” from Mr Blatter.
Meanwhile, a lot has changed internally at FIFA. The fact that Qatar can host the World Cup is now more difficult. “The most important thing is that members of the Executive Committee can no longer customize the organization of the FIFA World Cup on their own,” Vandenbet says.
“The Executive Committee is only responsible for selecting a number of countries. It is the General Assembly, which has only more than 200 people entitled to vote, that ultimately chooses the country in which the World Cup will be held.”
“There are several oversight mechanisms along the way and there is also an independent oversight body that should oversee the procedures. It is now in principle more transparent and oversight than it was at the time.”
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