I phoned Obama before the vote and told him: You’re not going to win... Qatar will get it

AN explosive new book, which will be launched this week, lifts the lid on the murky world of FIFA and corruption in football, shining a light from the inside for the first time on the extraordinary bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Before finishin

THE first matter Sepp Blatter talked about was his former nemesis, Mohamed bin Hammam. He said that he thought Bin Hammam wanted the FIFA presidency more than he wanted Qatar to win the 2022 World Cup.

‘For years he was doing things for people to help him win the presidency.’

‘We gave him $5million,’ I told him. ‘What for?’ he asked. ‘Not exactly him, but [MBHsupported charity] Vision Asia. We had a memorandum of understanding that granted Vision Asia $5m. We even won an award for it.’

Blatter laughed. He genuinely thought it was funny. ‘Vision Asia, Bin Hammam, same thing. Why would you give money to someone who is already rich?’

‘It was supposed to help us get votes from Asia and Africa,’ I said.

‘Do you know what happened to it?’ he asked.

I shrugged my shoulders. ‘Not as far as I’m aware. Some may have gone to Chonburi.’

Blatter laughed again. Chonburi was the football club owned by former executive committee member Worawi Makudi of Thailand, an ally of Bin Hammam. Makudi was banned from all football activity for five years in October 2016.

‘He wasn’t supposed to run in 2011,’ Blatter told me, referring again to Bin Hammam. ‘He went against his Emir.’ Blatter continued: ‘In December 2010, soon after the vote, I went to a meeting in Doha at the palace with the Emir, the young one who is now the Emir, Sheik Jassim and Bin Hammam.’ Sheik Jassim is the new Emir’s older brother who renounced his rights as heir apparent in favour of his younger brother in 2003. He is the patron of the Aspire Academy.

Blatter continued: ‘The Emir knew that I wasn’t happy that they won. He knew I wanted America to win, but he also knew that FIFA couldn’t have a World Cup in Qatar in 2022 and a Qatari as president of FIFA.

‘He wanted to keep the World Cup. He told me in front of Bin Hammam that Bin Hammam would not run. I thought that was that. I returned to Zurich.’

‘Next thing,’ he continued, breaking some bread, ‘he is running. He gave an interview. I read it in the paper one morning.’ ‘What did you do?’ I asked. ‘I wrote an email and asked them, “What is going on? Why is he running?” We had an agreement.’ ‘Did they respond?’ ‘Sheik Jassim did. He told me, “Don’t worry. We will fix it”.’

He watched me as I completed my notes. ‘You remember when Bin Hammam pulled out of the presidential race?’ he asked.

‘Yes, a night or two before the election.’

‘Everyone thinks he pulled out because of the ethics charges. It was nothing to do with the ethics charges,’ said Blatter. ‘It was because he was told to. By Qatar. Because they promised me he would not stand. Sheik Jassim was here in Zurich. We were at a meeting, the three of us. Sheik Jassim told him to withdraw.’

Blatter picked up a piece of prosciutto and tore another corner of his bread roll. ‘And that was that,’ he said. ‘When did you know that Qatar was going to win?’ I asked.

‘As soon as Michel told me his votes had shifted,’ he replied, referring to Michel Platini, the former footballer who was head of UEFA. ‘We had talked about the bidding contest in the executive committee, that it would go to Russia and America.’ He explained why. ‘Russia because 2018 had to go to Europe, and they had not hosted it. This big country in Europe, as well as Asia you know. We knew they were capable.’

‘Because of the 1980 Olympic Games,’ I said.

‘Yes, they are a very competent country, a football country,’ he continued. ‘America because it

‘I KNEW QATAR WOULD WIN WHEN PLATINI SAID HIS VOTES HAD SHIFTED’

was really CONCACAF’s turn. And America is very good for us. The sponsors, the broadcasters, the fans. It would help football there after 1994, almost 30 years, and that is good for football.’

‘When did Platini tell you his votes shifted?’

‘He told me that his votes were shifting. Him, Lefkaritis [the ExCo voter from Cyprus], Erzik [of Turkey], D’Hooghe [Belgium]. They all went to Qatar. After the meeting with Sarkozy.’

Platini was reported to have met with the then French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, on November 23, 2010, nine days before the FIFA executive committee meeting. Also at the meeting was Sheik Tamim of Qatar, who would later become the Emir, succeeding his father in 2013.

In 2011, Qatar Airways purchased 90 aircraft at the annual Dubai Air Show: 88 of them were French-manufactured Airbus aircraft, two were USmanufactured Boeing aircraft.

Al Jazeera subsequently purchased the TV rights to the French Ligue 1 and Qatar Sports Investments purchased Paris Saint-Germain. ‘I didn’t believe D’Hooghe until I saw the job his son got,’ added Blatter.

Michel D’Hooghe’s son, Pieter, also a medical specialist, was offered a role as a surgeon at a private hospital in Qatar in 2012.

‘What did you do when you found out?’ Blatter said: ‘I called President Obama. With Sunil.’ He was referring to the then longstanding president of US Soccer and head of the US bid, Dr Sunil Gulati.

‘We phoned President Obama together the night or two before and I told him, ‘It is going to be very difficult for you to win’.

‘What did President Obama say?’ I asked.

‘He understood what had gone on. He thanked me for telling him.’ [The conversation moves on to a $100m bonus agreed, prevote, by Qatar’s state-owned broadcaster to FIFA in the event Qatar won 2022]. ‘What about the bonus from Al Jazeera?’ ‘I don’t remember those details,’ said Blatter. ‘But sponsors and broadcasters pay bonuses all the time. That is not unusual.’ ‘A $100m bonus is normal?’ He shrugged. [The discussion switches to Australia’s links with the German FA, Franz Beckenbauer and two German consultants, Fedor Radmann and Andreas Abold]. ‘No doubt Fedor Radmann had some scheme going,’ said Blatter. ‘I know that he got a lot of money and Franz wouldn’t do what he did for Australia for nothing.’