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FIFA president Sepp Blatter takes a swipe at England World Cup 2018 bid
The FIFA President says the FA is still disappointed from its failure to land the 2018 World Cup and claims the country is holding it against him.
Dec 4, 2011 9:34:00 AM
By Alex Meyers
Getty Images
Sepp Blatter has claimed that the English is still reeling from its failed attempt to bring the World Cup back to the country for the first time since 1966.
"The World Cup was theirs by right. When they came here with Beckham, Prince William and Prime Minister Cameron, they were certain of winning,” he told Swiss newspaper Matin Dimanch. "They got two votes. Since then, they have looked for every means to justify their defeat."
The FIFA President has said that the FA felt it had a right to host the tournament and resent him because of this.
England lost out on hosting the 2018 tournament to Russia despite a high profile campaign and only managed two votes in a ballot of FIFA's 22 executive members in Zurich last December.
Since missing out on the tournament the English FA have opposed Blatter’s re-election as FIFA President, but he was voted in for a fourth term in office in June.
The 75-year old has faced much criticism over the past year for allegations of corruption within FIFA and recently said that football doesn’t have a problem with racism claiming that such incidents should be settled with a handshake.
Blatter also claimed that the English have lost power in recent years and were more concerned about hosting the next World Cup than the Olympic games.
"In the 60s and 70s, the great sporting federations were in the main British. It's no longer the case,” he continued. "The English have lost power and, most recently, the 2018 World Cup.” They were very keen, more than for the Olympics. They thought that football should have come home.”
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"The World Cup was theirs by right. When they came here with Beckham, Prince William and Prime Minister Cameron, they were certain of winning,” he told Swiss newspaper Matin Dimanch. "They got two votes. Since then, they have looked for every means to justify their defeat."
The FIFA President has said that the FA felt it had a right to host the tournament and resent him because of this.
England lost out on hosting the 2018 tournament to Russia despite a high profile campaign and only managed two votes in a ballot of FIFA's 22 executive members in Zurich last December.
Since missing out on the tournament the English FA have opposed Blatter’s re-election as FIFA President, but he was voted in for a fourth term in office in June.
The 75-year old has faced much criticism over the past year for allegations of corruption within FIFA and recently said that football doesn’t have a problem with racism claiming that such incidents should be settled with a handshake.
Blatter also claimed that the English have lost power in recent years and were more concerned about hosting the next World Cup than the Olympic games.
"In the 60s and 70s, the great sporting federations were in the main British. It's no longer the case,” he continued. "The English have lost power and, most recently, the 2018 World Cup.” They were very keen, more than for the Olympics. They thought that football should have come home.”
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