FIFA's Disgraced Former President Sepp Blatter Slams Decision To Let 6 Countries Hold World Cup in 2030

FIFA has decided that six countries across three continents will co-host the FIFA World Cup in 2030. However, many, including former FIFA President Sepp Blatter, are not very happy with the idea.

The disgraced and former FIFA leader, who served as president from 1998 to 2015, slammed the plan presented by his successor, Gianni Infantino, for the six co-hosts plan and called the idea "absurd."

During an interview with a Swiss newspaper, the 87-year-old stated, "It is absurd to tear the tournament apart in this way. The World Cup finals must be a compact event."

For the first time in history, the World Cup will be held not just in one continent but three. The main co-hosts will be Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, which means that the majority of the tournament will be held in two continents, Europe and Africa. However, opening games will also be held in three South American countries, namely Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay, meaning that in its entirety, three continents will be hosting the games.

The move has been widely criticized as this will not just tax teams with constant traveling between three continents but also fans who often shoulder their own expenses when traveling to host countries. This might mean that some fans might shell out thousands to watch their team play, as they will not just pay for travel expenses but tickets to the stadiums as well.

Sepp Blatter noted that the games should have originally been awarded to Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay, which placed a joint bid to co-host the games. The disgraced former FIFA president stated that this was for historical reasons, as Uruguay hosted the first World Cup and was also the first World Cup winner.

"For historical reasons, the 2030 World Cup should have belonged exclusively in South America," said Blatter.

2030 FIFA World Cup Will Be the Longest in History

Despite accusations that the 2030 FIFA World Cup will be bloated, the sports organization is moving forward with the six co-hosts. With this, though, it is looking to be the longest World Cup in history, according to Football Espana.

The games are set to begin either on June 8 or 9, 2030, with several of these opening matches being held in South America. The final math, which may be held at Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabeu, may be held on July 21, 2030. This means that after the opening matches in South America, the World Cup is scheduled to last for around 45 days, which will be the longest in history.

FIFA Plans To Mitigate Environmental Impact for 2030 World Cup

As for the environmental impact the games will be having, FIFA said, "For 101 games, the tournament will be played in a footprint of neighboring countries."

It added, "Three games will take place in South America, also in neighboring countries in close geographic proximity to mark the 100th year of the tournament, in a unique celebration."

The soccer organization vowed that it would take all the "required measures to mitigate the environmental impact." It also admitted that having six countries host would not be as sustainable as only having one host. The organization has also been under much scrutiny after it was found to have "made false statements" regarding the reduced environmental impact of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

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Written by: Rick Martin

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