Platini defends FIFA´s Cup decisions

UEFA President Michel Platini has defended FIFA’s decision to award the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar.

Football’s governing body have come under criticism in some quarters, with scorned bidding nation England leading the chorus of dissent.

Platini, 55, has echoed FIFA President Sepp Blatter, stating that the organisation’s main goal was to take the tournament to new regions.

“Russia asked why they didn’t have the right to organise the World Cup and said it had already been held 10 times in Western Europe,” Platini said.

“I think maybe the executive committee were sensitive to this.”

“The same thing applies to Qatar and the Arab world. Morocco has applied to host the World Cup four times and lost, Egypt have also failed and Qatar asked when will the Middle East have this opportunity?”

“Maybe, the members of the executive committee thought it was a good opportunity to go to that part of the world once and for all, a region that has never hosted the World Cup, so if we’re talking about developing football worldwide, which is ultimately the goal of institutions such as FIFA … well it’s something beautiful.”

“We opened new frontiers by taking the World Cup to Africa and maybe the executive committee felt it was time to open more new frontiers. There was nothing illogical about this.”

The decision to award the 2022 tournament to Qatar has been criticised because of the excessive heat when the tournament would be played.

The Qatari bid has proposed combating the problem with climate-controlled stadia.

Platini’s fellow executive committee member Franz Beckenbauer has suggested shifting the tournament to January.

While Platini defended Qatar’s right to host the tournament in June and July, the Frenchman has also acknowledged a change in schedule could be considered.

“In the 1994 World Cup in the United States, the temperature in Dallas, if I’m not mistaken, was 45 Celsius and nobody criticised us at the time,” Platini said.

“It’s a long time and we’re talking about this with Mr Blatter.”

“I agree, football in the Gulf in January, that would be easier than June. Why not, it’s possible.”