FIFA president Sepp Blatter greeting Filipino students playing percussion instruments after the groundbreaking ceremony of the FIFA Goal Project III for the national teams’ training centre at the San Lazaro Leisure and Business Park in Carmona, Cavite province, south of Manila, yesterday.
Reuters, AFP
Manila
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A defiant FIFA president Sepp Blatter said there would be no moving the 2022 World Cup from Qatar, despite “concerns” by some quarters in the West about the bidding process that took the tournament to the Middle East for the first time.
“2022, it is Qatar, and ladies and gentleman, believe me, with all that has been said around the world by whom? Those not involved with what happens in football. The World Cup in 2022 will be played in Qatar,” the 78-year-old Swiss told Asian Football Confederation members in Manila yesterday.
The remarks, cheered and applauded loudly by Asian delegates, come as FIFA faces calls for publishing a report by ethics investigator Michael Garcia into the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.
Garcia’s findings were summarised in a 42-page statement published by FIFA ethics judge Hans-Joachim Eckert last week, which cleared the two winning bids.
FIFA has said it cannot publish the full report for legal reasons.
Asked if the report should be published in full, Blatter said: “We are going now to the executive committee meeting with all these matters on the 19th (of December) in Morocco”
Yesterday, Valcke insisted there was “no need” to publish the investigation in full.
“Legally speaking there is no need and no reason to publish,” Valcke said in brief comments to AFP at the function in Manila.
In London, The Sunday Times newspaper said it had passed on a dossier revealing further allegations regarding the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids to a House of Commons committee and which were published on Saturday.
Blatter, however, appeared untroubled by the ongoing saga yesterday, taking the opportunity to throw his weight behind the capabilities of the Middle East nations.
“It is the second time we will go to organise the World Cup in Asia. The first was a lovely combination, a co-hosting, between Japan and Korea Republic. It was a great success, a big success,” said Blatter, who is seeking a fifth term as head of FIFA next year.
“But we have the next one. It will be the first time in the Arabic world but there is another competition that I would like to underline, the under-17 women’s tournament in 2016.
“For the first time....we are coming with women’s world cup in 2016 to the kingdom of Jordan. It is the trust and confidence of FIFA towards the Arabic world that they can organise all the competitions.”
Following the announcement, the Qatar Football Association were named winners of the AFC’s Dream Asia Award, a prize given, according to the AFC, to a body who use football as a tool for social change, enlighten the importance of social responsibility and promote the culture of giving.
Al-Thawadi underlines ‘positive impact’
A senior Qatari official said in Manila yesterday that the state was already feeling the benefits of staging the 2022 World Cup. Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee secretary general Hassan al-Thawadi assured Asian Football Confederation members they too would feel the positive effects of a first World Cup in the Middle East. He said five stadiums were under construction and preparations were at an advanced stage for the event.
