Former Fifa president says the decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar was a “mistake” and that it is “too small” to host football’s grandest competition.
Blatter was in the charge of the world football governing body in 2010 when the tournament was awarded to the Middle Eastern state.
The decision was met with a huge backlash and it was followed up with controversy after allegations were made that the country had paid bribes to earn the 2022 tournament.
Due to the sweltering heat Qatar experiences in the summer, the tournament was moved to the winter, significantly affecting the footballing calendar. The hosts have also regularly been criticised for their human rights record, particularly its anti-LGBTQ laws, cultural perception towards women, and its treatment of migrant workers who built the stadiums.
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Blatter was in control of Fifa between 1998-2015 before receiving a six-year ban from the sport over a corruption scandal. He was charged with sending an unlawful payment of £1.6 million to former Uefa president Michel Platini, who was also forced to leave his position with Fifa.
In March 2021, Blatter then received an additional ban until 2028 for "various violations" of Fifa's code of ethics.
The 86-year-old was cleared of the charges against him surrounding the Platini payment in July.
In his first interview since having the charges against him dropped, Blatter told Swiss newspaper Tages Anzeiger: “The choice of Qatar was a mistake.
"It is too small of a country. Football and the World Cup are too big for it.”
Blatter said Fifa had amended the criteria used to select host countries in 2012 after concerns were raised about the treatment of migrant workers building World Cup stadiums in Qatar.
"Since then, social considerations and human rights are taken into account," he added.
