To some it will be a statement of the obvious, to others an admission that should ring alarm bells. Responding to the assertion of the Fifa president, Sepp Blatter, that the Qatar 2022 World Cup was a “political” choice by European voters, the Uefa president, Michel Platini, has confirmed that “political and economic influences” were a factor.
The controversial selection of Qatar to host the 2022 World Cup in December 2010 has resulted in a bitter row over whether the tournament should be moved to winter to avoid the searing summer heat, a move expected to be agreed in principle by Fifa next month.
Blatter, who voted for the US to host the 2022 tournament but has since become an advocate of moving it to winter, said in an interview this week that there was “definitely direct political influence” on European executive committee members to vote for Qatar.
“European leaders recommended to its voting members to opt for Qatar, because of major economic interests in the country,” he told the German weekly Die Zeit.
Following a meeting of all 54 Uefa member associations in Dubrovnik, at which they confirmed in principle their support for a winter World Cup in 2022, Platini confirmed Blatter’s comments. “With the extraordinary influence Mr Blatter has,” Platini said, “he has only all of a sudden realised there are political and economic influences when we decide who will host an Olympic Games and so forth? It’s better late than never I guess.”
Platini sardonically added: “It’s new, apparently. It was said that Europeans voted for Qatar but Qatar got 14 votes. We’re only eight. If you subtract eight from 14 you get six left over.”
Platini has admitted voting for Qatar and lobbying for the move to winter, but has insisted that a much scrutinised meeting with the then French president Nicolas Sarkozy, the now Emir of Qatar and the Qatar prime minister did not result in pressure being put on him. “I knew Sarkozy wanted the people from Qatar to buy PSG,” Platini told the Guardian in May. “I understood that Sarkozy supported the candidature of Qatar. But he never asked me, or to vote for Russia [for the 2018 World Cup]. He knows my personality. I always vote for what is good for football. Not for myself, not for France.”
Rumours of corruption continue to swirl around the bidding process for the 2022 World Cup and the ethics committee chair, Michael Garcia, is continuing to investigate what became a convoluted and chaotic process that was scarred by allegations of vote swapping and bribery.
As far as the scheduling is concerned, attention is now likely to turn to when the tournament will be held – Fifa would prefer to hold it in December 2022 to avoid the Winter Olympics but Uefa would prefer January and February to avoid a clash with the lucrative Champions League group stages.
“There are only two things I have clearly in mind. The first is that the president of Fifa will talk about 2022 at the next Fifa ExCo meeting,” Platini said. “Apart from that the European national associations have unanimously stated that in principle we aren’t against playing in winter. We haven’t said we agree fully, we’ve said we agree in principle. Now, the ball is in the court of the president of Fifa.”
Platini also confirmed that 32 countries – including England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland – had expressed an interest in hosting matches during the 2020 European Championship. Once Turkey pulled out of the race to host the tournament, Platini conceived a plan to play the matches across 13 different countries. Final bid dossiers are due by April 2014, with a decision a year later. Countries can bid to host either four group stage matches, or the semi-finals and final, or both.
Some believe that the Fifa presidential election, due in 2015, is having a bearing on the negotiations over the 2022 World Cup. Platini, long tipped as a possible successor to Blatter, said he would not reveal his hand until during or after the 2014 World Cup. Blatter, who had said this would be his final term, is increasingly expected to stand again in 2015.
“The members, I know what some would like them have me do. I know what my friends would have me do. I know some journalists would like me to do certain things. I will take the decision when I take the decision,” said Platini.
“I told them I would take my decision during or after the World Cup. This isn’t something that keeps me awake at night. I’m happy with Uefa, I feel very much at home here and I’m seeing how things develop slowly. There’s a lot of time.”
• This article has been amended to correct the spelling of Die Zeit
© Guardian News & Media Limited 2014
