Sepp Blatter: Russia 2018 World Cup 'agreed before vote'

The 79-year-old told Russian news agency Tass of a "discussion" in 2010 about future World Cups.

He said a late swing in voting that gave Qatar the 2022 World Cup undid a similar agreement to hand it to the US.

Swiss Blatter is serving a 90-day ban alongside Uefa chief Michel Platini, 60, and both deny any wrongdoing.

Asked whether it was a mistake to hold voting for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments simultaneously, Blatter replied that before the ballot: "It was agreed inside the group that we go to Russia because it has never been to eastern Europe, and for 2022 we go back to America.

"And so we would have the World Cup in the two biggest political powers."

But he added that four votes from Europe later switched from the USA to Qatar.

The bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments is the subject of an ongoing Swiss criminal investigation. It was begun alongside a US inquiry following the arrest and indictment of several top executives by the US Department of Justice on corruption charges.

How England's failed 2018 bid team reacted

Simon Johnson, then chief operating officer of England's failed 2018 World Cup bid, was livid about Blatter's comments, saying England's Football Association had "every right to bring legal action against Fifa".

The FA spent £21m, including £2.5m of public money from local authorities, on England's attempt to host the 2018 tournament.

"All the way through the process we were being told by high-ranking Fifa officials that as long as we put together a strong bid and a good presentation we would have a lot to offer," Johnson told BBC Radio 5 live.

He added that the bid team "played by the rules" and, "right until the night before" the vote, thought they had "every chance".

FA chairman Greg Dyke said English football's governing body will investigate Blatter's revelation about the 2018 World Cup.

Giving evidence to the UK Parliament's Culture, Media and Sport Committee, Dyke said it would be "very nice to get taxpayers' money back", adding that the FA would "talk to our own lawyers, but this is uncharted territory".

What else did Blatter reveal?

In a wide-ranging interview, Blatter, who will be replaced as head of world football's governing body at an election on 26 February 2016, also said:

Russia will "never" lose the 2018 World Cup

England are "bad losers" over perceived media criticism of the 2018 and 2022 Word Cup bidding process

Most national football associations "don't like" Uefa-backed Fifa presidential candidate Gianni Infantino

His own current suspension is a "total nonsense" and the Fifa ethics committee has failed him

Blatter said it was "his dream" for his ban to end in time to conduct the February congress when the election to replace him with one of seven candidates will take place.

He also said he should have stood down after the 2014 World Cup in Brazil but stayed because of concerns that Uefa, European football's governing body, would become too dominant within Fifa.

"The other confederations were afraid that Uefa would take over everything because they have the money and the players," said Blatter.

"Uefa has an anti-Fifa virus."

(BBC)