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FIFA
President, Sepp Blatter, has rejected allegations of corruption at
football’s governing body after Russia and Qatar won the right to host
the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, calling England “bad losers” for their
reaction. “To be honest, I was surprised by all the English complaining
after the defeat. England, of all people, the motherland of fair play
ideas,” Blatter told Swiss weekly magazine Weltwoche. “Now some of them
are showing themselves to be bad losers. You can’t come afterwards and
say so and so promised to vote for England. The results are known. The
outcome came out clearly.”

Roger Burden, the
acting Chairman of the Football Association, withdrew his application
for the permanent position last week, saying he could no longer trust
FIFA members after the failure of England’s bid to host the 2018 World
Cup. He added that England’s bid team in Zurich, which included Prime
Minister David Cameron and the second in line to the throne, Prince
William, were promised votes which had not been delivered by FIFA
executive committee members. Cameron made a jibe at FIFA on Wednesday
when he was asked in parliament what he thought about football’s
governing body after his experience of England’s World Cup bid. “I
certainly learned one thing which is when it comes to breaking
promises, politicians have got nothing on football management,” he
said, laughing.

The arrogance of the west

Blatter said the
reaction of the losing bidders showed some did not understand his drive
to expand football’s frontiers. “I really sense in some reactions a bit
of the arrogance of the western world of Christian background,” he
said. “Some simply can’t bear it if others get a chance for a change.
What can be wrong if we start football in regions where this sport
demonstrates a potential which goes far beyond sport?”

England’s bid
chief, Andy Anson, has suggested Blatter influenced committee members
before the vote by reminding them of British media stories which
alleged corruption against them and led to two being banned. Blatter
rejected the corruption allegations and said he was being targeted by
anti-FIFA journalists. “There is no systematic corruption in FIFA,” he
said. “That is nonsense! We are financially clean and clear.” But
Blatter said FIFA could not act as if nothing had happened, adding he
wanted to set up a taskforce to look into compliance issues, without
giving details. “We need to improve our image. We also need to clarify
some things within FIFA,” he said.

Asked about calls by Cameron for a radical reform of FIFA, Blatter
said: “Prime Minister Cameron is heartily invited to make his
proposals.” Blatter admitted football had become politicised. “Football
has become a monster which has to be tamed by FIFA. We do that and we
do it well. In particular after the World Cup in Africa because nobody
believed in it,” he said. “The awarding of the World Cup has become a
political issue. Heads of state pay court to me.” Asked if he would
still be FIFA president to open the Qatar World Cup in 2022, Blatter
said: “Definitely not. If God wills it, I will be invited to the
opening party on crutches or in a wheelchair.”