Mistake To Award World Cup To Qatar, Says Blatter

[May 16, 2014]  (Reuters) - Awarding the 2022 soccer World Cup to Qatar was a 'mistake' and the tournament will probably have to be held in the winter because of the heat, FIFA president Sepp Blatter has said.

"Of course, it was a mistake. You know, one comes across a lot of mistakes in life," he told Swiss television station RTS in an interview.

"The Qatar technical report indicated clearly that it is too hot in summer, but the executive committee with quite a big majority decided all the same that the tournament would be in Qatar," he added.

Asked whether the World Cup was likely to be held in the European winter, the 78-year-old replied: "It's probable, yes. In fact, it's more than probable."

FIFA launched an investigation last year into alleged corruption surrounding the voting procedure for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, awarded to Russia and Qatar respectively.

The choice of Qatar was particularly controversial given that the small Arab nation has little footballing culture and summer temperatures can exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit (40 Celsius).

FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke said in January that the 2022 World Cup would not be played in the summer months but was likely to be held between November and January.

The soccer body has said no decision will be taken until after this year's World Cup finals in Brazil with all stakeholders and commercial partners to be consulted.

Blatter was adamant oil and gas-rich Qatar had not 'bought' the World Cup, however, and indicated political pressure from France and Germany had played a part.

"I will never say they (Qatar) bought it," he said.

"We know full well that big French and German companies work in Qatar, but they don't just work for the World Cup. The World Cup is only a small part of what is going on in Qatar."

Asked about his future at the helm of FIFA, Blatter again indicated he would stand for a fifth term in next year's election.

"At the moment I say I want to finish my mandate well. Of course I am willing to continue," he said.

(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Sudipto Ganguly)

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