Sepp Blatter says England are bad losers

Sepp Blatter has compounded England's crushing disappointment at losing the 2018 World Cup bid by branding the English 'bad losers'. Russia was awarded the 2018 World Cup after England were humiliated, receiving only two votes despite submitting what FIFA itself deemed to be a superior technical bid. FIFA president Blatter said: 'To be honest, I was surprised by all the English complaining after the defeat. England, of all people, the motherland of fair-play ideas. Calm down, calm down: Sepp Blatter insists England are bad losers 'Now some of them are showingthemselves to be bad losers. You can't come afterwards and sayso-and-so promised to vote for England. The results are known. The outcome came out clearly.'England's bid team in Zurich, which included Prime Minister DavidCameron, Prince William and David Beckham, were confident of the votesof at least six of the 22 committee members, but the delegates failedto register their support when it mattered. FA general secretary Alex Horne toldthe BBC: 'People were specifically told things that didn't come tolight. If half-a-dozen people promised us a vote and we only got onethen people lied to us.' Withdrawing his application: Roger BurdenHugh Robertson, minister for sportand the Olympics, said it was probably not a 'football-based decision'and Andy Anson, England 2018 chief executive, recommended the countrydoes not bid again until the selection process is changed. In addition, the acting chairman ofthe FA, Roger Burden, last week withdrew his application for thepermanent position, saying: 'I'm not prepared to deal with people (atFIFA) whom I cannot trust.' But, in an interview with Swiss magazine Weltwoche,to be published on Thursday, Blatter hit back at suggestions that thevoting process was flawed. He went on to accuse England of arroganceand suggested the country is resistant to change. The 74-year-old said: 'I reallysense in some reactions a bit of the arrogance of the western world ofChristian background. Some simply can't bear it if others get a chancefor a change. 'What can be wrong if we start football in regions where this sport demonstrates a potential which goes far beyond sport?' England's representative on theexecutive committee, Geoff Thompson, told Sky News on Wednesday that'clarification was needed' if FIFA were intent on taking the World Cupto new countries instead of more traditional venues. FIFA also awardedthe 2022 World Cup to the Gulf state of Qatar. He said: 'If that was in their mind they should have said that in the bidding documents.' Thompson also said media coverage inEnglish newspapers and the BBC's Panorama programme, shown just threedays before the vote, 'didn't help' England's cause. Anson has said Blatter spoke to members about the 'evils of the media' just before they cast their votes. A Sunday Timesinvestigation led to two committee members - Nigerian Amos Adamu andOceania member Reynald Temarii - being banned from voting and fined£6,250 and £3,125 respectively after it was alleged they offered theirvotes in return for money. Three wise men? But Prince William, David Cameron and David Beckham failed to swing the World Cup vote England's wayBut Blatter, president of FIFA since June 1998, rejected suggestions corruption is rife within the organisation. He said: 'There is no systematic corruption in FIFA. That is nonsense. We are financially clean and clear.' He also insisted FIFA could not justact as though nothing had happened and said he wanted to establish atask force to look into 'compliance issues', without giving fulldetails.Blatter said: 'We need to improve our image. We also need toclarify some things within FIFA.' When asked if he would still be FIFApresident and open the Qatar tournament in 2022, by which time he wouldbe 86 years old, Blatter said: 'Definitely not. If God wills it, I willbe invited to the opening party on crutches or in a wheelchair.'  Martin Samuel: World Cup corruption. another nail in the coffinHow England's failed 2018 World Cup bid was a carve up  Explore more:People: Sepp Blatter, David Beckham, Geoff Thompson, Alex Horne, Hugh Robertson Places: United Kingdom, Qatar, Russia

Source: Daily_Mail