Blatter claims agreement to award 2018 World Cup to Russia before vote

Outgoing FIFA President Sepp Blatter has claimed an agreement was already in place to give Russia the 2018 World Cup prior to the vote ©Getty Images

Outgoing FIFA President Sepp Blatter has claimed an agreement to award the 2018 World Cup to Russia had been made prior to the vote taking place.

The Swiss made the claim during an interview with Russian news agency Tass, where he also stated that a similar agreement had been in place to take the tournament back to the United States for the second time in its history in 2022.

However Blatter, who is currently serving a 90-day suspension handed out by the FIFA Ethics Committee after allegedly making a "disloyal" payment of CHF 2 million (£1.3 million/$2.1 million/€1.8 million) to UEFA President Michel Platini, claimed a late swing of votes saw Qatar emerge as the hosts of the 2022 tournament instead.

The 79-year-old believed the swing was caused by Platini, who is also serving a suspension which could derail his bid to replace Blatter as FIFA President, and the then-French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Both countries were awarded their respective tournaments at the same time on December 2, 2010.

“It was agreed inside the group that we go to Russia because it has never been to Eastern Europe and for 2022 we go back to America,” he said.

“So we would have the World Cup in the two biggest political powers and everything was good until Sarkozy came in.

“In a meeting with the crown prince of Qatar, who is now the ruler of Qatar, and in a lunch afterwards with Michel Platini they said it would be good to go to Qatar.

“This changed the whole pattern, because the four votes from Europe went away from the USA.”

Sepp Blatter also continued his attack on UEFA President Michel Platini, with both men currently serving suspensions ©Getty Images

Following Blatter’s comments, English Football Association (FA) chairman Greg Dyke claimed the governing body would investigate the Swiss’ revelations, with the organisation having failed in a bid to stage the 2018 tournament alongside joint bids from Belgium and The Netherlands, as well as Spain and Portugal.

Dyke was speaking to the United Kingdom’s Parliament's Culture, Media and Sport Committee, where he was also questioned about the FA’s initial support of Platini as a candidate for the FIFA Presidential election.

Member of Parliament and FIFA reform campaigner Damian Collins questioned the FA’s decision to back the Frenchman before other candidates had put themselves forward, with the governing body later withdrawing their support.

"Our view was Mr Platini would be a significantly better president than Mr Blatter," Dyke said.

"Platini does not have Mr Blatter's intense dislike of the England FA and in particular the English media."

Platini has been included on a list of seven contenders to replace Blatter along with Asian Football Confederation (AFC) head Sheikh Salman as well as Jordan's Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein, Liberia's Musa Bility, France's Jérôme Champagne, UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino and South Africa's Tokyo Sexwale.

However his bid for the Presidency could be ended should the Ethics Committee opt to extend his suspension by a further 45 days, with his ban currently set to expire on January 5, which would mean he would be ineligible for the proposed election date of February 26.

Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, a member of the world governing body's ruling Executive Committee told insidethegames earlier that Bahrain's Sheikh Salman could withdraw should Platini be allowed to stand for the position, with the Frenchman still likely to receive wide support.

Blatter though has opted to continue his attack on his former adviser, accusing him of “envy and jealousy”, while he believes criticism of him is primarily driven by the votes for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

“When it is in politics, it is not any longer Platini against me,” he said.

“It is then those, who have lost the World Cup, England against Russia, they lost the World Cup and the USA lost the World Cup against Qatar."