It is a late admission of guilt the most powerful man in world football: Fifa boss Sepp Blatter has admitted for the first time that warnings had been ignored in the allocation of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar.

FIFA President Joseph Blatter has admitted for the first time that the award of the World Cup in 2022 was a mistake to Qatar. “Sure it was a mistake! But you know, you make a lot of mistakes in life,” the president of the Football world governing body said in an interview with Swiss TV station RTS.

“It was clearly indicated in an expertise that the summer temperatures would be too high. This fact has not stopped the executive committee of Fifa of the World Cup to be awarded with a large majority of the emirate ,” said Blatter . The 78 -year-old favors an appointment the end of 2022 , partly to avoid the sweltering summer heat in Qatar.

Possible bribery by the emirate to the voting members of the Fifa executive committee would not comment Blatter : “No, no, I never said that. ” Unmistakably presented the Swiss , however, that there was apparently ” political pressure ” from France and Germany . “You know well that big companies from France and Germany to work in Qatar , but they work not only for the World Cup . The World Cup is a relatively small matter for Qatar. ”

Given the temperatures up to 50 degrees Celsius and inhumane conditions on construction sites in conjunction with the 2022 World Cup, the discussion on the role of host Qatar cooks up again and again. The leaders of the International Trade Union Confederation ( ITUC) speak against the background of numerous deaths among foreign workers from “slavery” and warn until the World Cup could die up to 4000 workers. Amnesty International documented last year in a report of serious human rights violations.

For the award by the Executive Committee of FIFA on 2 December 2010 in Zurich, Qatar had prevailed against the United States , Japan , South Korea and Australia.

Blatter confirmed in the interview also , that he would run for Fifa president again in May 2015. ” Not only did I feel like I am determined to keep going ,” he said. His statements to Qatar are therefore also to be interpreted as an attack against Michel Platini . The Uefa chief has football functionary known openly to his Qatari support and is the only competitor with a small chance to prevent Blatter’s re-election.