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Sepp Blatter says FIFA crisis stems from descision to award Russia and Qatar World Cups

Xinhua, May 29, 2015 Adjust font size:

Hours before the congress which will select the new FIFA President, Sepp Blatter said he believed that the FIFA corruption crisis stems from the world soccer governing body's decision to award Russia and Qatar the next two World Cups.

"If two other countries had emerged from the envelope, I think we would not have these problems today," Blatter said.

Fourteen FIFA senior officials, including vice president Jeffery Webb, were arrested on Wednesday in Zurich and pending extradition due to United States authorities suspecting them of having received bribes.

The arrests requested by the United States came just two days before the FIFA Congress during which Blatter is seeking to win his fifth term as FIFA president.

In 2010, Russia won the bid to host the 2018 World Cup, and Qatar was awarded the 2022 tournament amid widespread allegations of wrongdoing.

The United States was one of the losing bidders for the 2022 World Cup.

Russia president Vladimir Putin expressed his anger on Thursday, saying the prosecution of the FIFA top mangers could be one way of the United States to "achieve its own selfish purposes".

"This is another blatant attempt to extend U.S. jurisdiction to other countries, also an attempt to prevent the re-election of Blatter," said Putin, who questioned the legality of U.S. authorities charging FIFA officials of actions done "in the territory of a third state".

Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko said on Wednesday that the arrests will not affect preparations for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

"Many of them had no relation to the 2018 World Cup bidding campaign. They were not Executive Committee members and did not take part (in the bidding campaign)," Mutko said.

Despite the mass corruption scandal, Blatter is still the favorite to win the election.

Both the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) have voiced their continued support for Blatter and have called for the vote to go on as planned.

The Football Kenya Federation (FKF) President, Samy Nyamweya, who has led a three-member team to Zurich to attend the FIFA Congress on Friday, said on phone from Zurich, that like other African states, his vote will go to the 79-year-old Swiss during their polls to help him secure another term, his fifth in office.

"We are behind Blatter. There is no question about that. If you look at what FIFA and Blatter in particular has done for us, it is a big stride," Nyamweya said ahead of the vote.

But Blatter's long-time opponent, UEFA president Michel Platini, took the chance to appeal to Blatter to immediately step down and asked him to postpone the election, but the latter has rejected.

Platini believes a vast majority of European football associations will vote in favor of the Swiss head's only opposition candidate Prince Ali bin Al Hussein of Jordan, and even said he would do everything he can to convince more to follow suit.

Platini said member nations, including England, a losing bidder for the 2018 World Cup, could boycott the Russia World Cup. Endi