Sepp Blatter, the former head of FIFA, has acknowledged that it was incorrect to award Qatar the right to host the 2022 World Cup.

When Qatar was given the tournament in 2010, Blatter was the president of FIFA.

For its attitude on same-sex couples, human rights record, and treatment of migrant labor, Qatar has drawn criticism.

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Additionally, Blatter stated in an interview with the Swiss publication Tages Anzeiger

:”It is too small of a country. Football and the World Cup are too big for it.

“It was a bad choice and I was responsible for that as president at the time.”

When Russia was chosen to host the 2018 event, the FIFA executive committee voted 14-8 to award Qatar the right to host the tournament in place of the United States 12 years prior.

The 86-year-old claims he cast his ballot for the US and accuses former UEFA president Michel Platini of swaying the outcome in Qatar’s favor.

“Thanks to the four votes of Platini and his [UEFA] team, the World Cup went to Qatar rather than the United States. It’s the truth.”

The Qatar World Cup is being held from November 20 to December 18. It is the first time in the 92-year history of the competition that it has been held in the Middle East and during the winter in the Northern Hemisphere.

After serving as FIFA president for 17 years, Blatter was forced to resign in 2015 amid claims that he had improperly arranged for Platini to receive a transfer of two million Swiss francs ($2.19 million; £1.6 million). Platini was also forced to resign from his position with FIFA.

Due to the Platini payment, the world football governing body initially imposed an eight-year ban on him, which was eventually shortened to six.

He was then given a further suspension to 2028 in March 2021 for “multiple infractions” of FIFA’s code of conduct.