Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter says he does not expect England to host a World Cup in his lifetime because English football is ‘too successful’. Blatter was the most powerful man in the game during his time in charge of FIFA, which came to an end in 2015 when he was suspended following allegations of corruption.
In 2021, Blatter was handed a fresh ban of six years and eight months for multiple breaches of FIFA’s ethics code. He was in charge of the governing body when England were denied World Cup hosting privileges on two occasions and does not expect the tournament to be held on UK soil any time soon.
Discussing the possibility of the World Cup returning to England, which he described as the ‘motherland’ of football, Blatter told The Telegraph: “I would say, in my life, I will not witness it. The problem is that English football is too successful.” He also warned that certain stereotypes still persist, such as: “Nose in the air: ‘We are British. We are English.'”
Blatter went on to explain that although he would love ‘something very special’ to be done for England, he does not believe it will be a priority for FIFA. He said: “Who would say that now when the game is in the hands of the Arabs?”
The next World Cup in 2026 will mostly be held in the United States, with matches also set to take place in Canada and Mexico. It comes after the US were snubbed under Blatter’s watch to host the tournament in 2022, which was eventually staged in Qatar.
“Americans, they’re bad losers,” said Blatter, who has accused Michel Platini of swinging the vote in favour of Qatar under pressure from former French president Nicolas Sarkozy. Platini and Sarkozy have both denied this, while Blatter maintains that his own vote went to the US.
The 88-year-old also reflected on his time in charge of FIFA, insisting that he does not regret anything in spite of how it ended.
Asked if he simply clung onto power for too long, Blatter replied: “If I would always go through all my life back [over] what was wrong, what would have been better, then I would start to put myself in situations where I would say: ‘Oh, you’re a bad boy. You are a bad boy already at school’.
“Let’s say I have no regrets [about] what I have done and especially no regrets [about] what I have not done.”
