Sepp Blatter: Russia was chosen as 2018 World Cup host before vote; calls England ‘bad losers’

Embattled,  suspended FIFA president, Sepp Blatter, has caused more controversies claiming, Wednesday, that the decision to award Russia the hosting rights for the 2018 World Cup was made before actual voting had taken place.

The remarkable revelation by the suspended Fifa president means England, who unsuccessfully bid for the tournament along with joint attempts by Spain/Portugal and Belgium/Holland, could have wasted millions without standing a chance from the outset.

Greg Dyke, the Football Association chairman, told the culture, media and sport select committee on Wednesday the bidding process appeared fixed from the start and that “it would be very nice to get taxpayers’ money back”.

Fifa’s executive committee awarded the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar respectively in December 2010​, but both decisions have been heavily criticised. England spent £21m on their bid, £2.5m of which was public money, and rolled out Prince William and David Beckham in an attempt to secure votes​ but were comprehensively defeated. The United States lost out to Qatar for the 2022 tournament.

Blatter, who has been suspended by Fifa’s ethics committee for 90 days along with the Uefa president Michel Platini​ while an investigation into a suspicious payment takes place, made the 2018 claims in a wide-ranging interview with the Russian news agency, Tass. A spokesman for the Swiss told the Guardian he stands by his words.

The 79-year-old believes Fifa would not have become engulfed in its current crisis had the US been awarded the 2022 World Cup instead of Qatar, saying the intervention of Nicolas Sarkozy, the president of France at the time, proved crucial in changing the planned course of events.

“In 2010 we had a discussion of the World Cup and then we went to a double decision,” said Blatter. “For the World Cups it was agreed that we go to Russia because it’s never been in Russia, eastern Europe, and for 2022 we go back to America. And so we will have the World Cup in the two biggest political powers.

“And everything was good until the moment when Sarkozy came in a meeting with the crown prince of Qatar, who is now the ruler of Qatar​. And at a lunch afterwards with Mr Platini he said it would be good to go to Qatar. And this has changed all pattern.

“There was an election by secret ballot. Four votes from Europe went away from the USA and so the result was 14 to eight. If you put the four votes, it would have been 12 to 10. If the USA was given the World Cup, we would only speak about the wonderful World Cup 2018 in Russia and we would not speak about any problems at Fifa.”

The United States has played a leading role in attempting to uncover alleged corruption at Fifa. In May Swiss authorities, acting on behalf of the US following a three-year FBI investigation, arrested a number of officials in Zurich and opened criminal proceedings over the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

Blatter initially held on to his presidency before announcing he would step down and eventually being forced from office following the 90-day suspension. The Fifa ethics department and Swiss authorities are investigating a £1.35m payment made by Fifa, sanctioned by Blatter, to Platini in 2011. Both men deny wrongdoing.

Dyke, questioned on Blatter’s comments by ​the Conservative MP Damian Collins, told the committee: “He does lots of strange interviews at the moment. I honestly don’t know what it means. It does look like it’s suggesting that it was all fixed anyway. It depends who he means by ‘we’.

“We will certainly look into it and I think others should. But you say get our bid costs back – from whom? From Fifa? I agree with you, it would be very nice to get taxpayers’ money back.”

Blatter, who will be replaced as president by one of seven candidates at an election in February, blamed Platini for Fifa’s demise but said the matter had become a ​global ​political one.​

“Yeah, he [Platini] started it, but then it became politics. And when it is in politics, it is not any longer Platini against me. It is then those who have lost the World Cup. England against Russia. They lost the World Cup. And the USA lost the World Cup against Qatar​,” said Blatter.​

Of England, he added: “Bad losers. In Great Britain they have made this beautiful game, they have introduced fair play. But there was only one vote going for England. They were eliminated in the first round. Nobody wanted to have England [as 2018 hosts].”

Dyke was questioned by the select committee about England’s support for Platini as the next Fifa president. The FA backed the former France international to succeed Blatter, before his 90-day suspension and more details of the £1.35m payment from Fifa emerged.

Executives from Fifa’s ​main ​sponsors Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Visa and Anheuser-Busch Inbev were also questioned by the select committee about their relationship with the world governing body and the working conditions of migrants in Qatar.