Blatter says FIFA not corrupt, England bad losers

ZURICH, (Reuters) – FIFA president Sepp Blatter has  rejected allegations of corruption at soccer’s governing body  after Russia and Qatar won the right to host the 2018 and 2022  World Cups, calling England “bad losers” for their reaction.

“To be honest, I was surprised by all the English  complaining after the defeat. England, of all people, the  motherland of fairplay ideas,” Blatter told Swiss weekly  magazine Weltwoche in an interview released ahead of publication  on Thursday.

“Now some of them are showing themselves to be bad losers,”  he said. “You can’t come afterwards and say so and so promised  to vote for England. The results are known. The outcome came out  clearly.”

Roger Burden, acting chairman of the Football Association,   withdrew his application for the permanent position last week,  saying he could no longer trust FIFA members after the failure  of England’s bid to host the 2018 World Cup.

He added that England’s bid team in Zurich, which included  Prime Minister David Cameron and the second in line to the  throne, Prince William, were promised votes which had not been  delivered by FIFA executive committee members.

Cameron made a jibe at FIFA on Wednesday when he was asked  in parliament what he thought about soccer’s governing body  after his experience of England’s World Cup bid.

“I certainly learned one thing which is when it comes to  breaking promises, politicians have got nothing on football  management,” he said, laughing.

Blatter said the reaction of the losing bidders showed some  did not understand his drive to expand soccer’s frontiers.

“I really sense in some reactions a bit of the arrogance of  the western world of Christian background. Some simply can’t  bear it if others get a chance for a change,” he said.

“What can be wrong if we start football in regions where  this sport demonstrates a potential which goes far beyond  sport?” he said.

England’s bid chief Andy Anson has suggested Blatter  influenced committee members before the vote by reminding them  of British media stories which alleged corruption against them  and led to two being banned.

Blatter rejected the corruption allegations and said he was  being targeted by anti-FIFA journalists: “There is no systematic  corruption in FIFA. That is nonsense,” he said. “We are  financially clean and clear.”

But Blatter said FIFA could not act as if nothing had  happened, adding he wanted to set up a taskforce to look into  compliance issues, without giving details.

“We need to improve our image. We also need to clarify some  things within FIFA,” he said.

Asked about calls by Cameron for a radical reform of FIFA,  Blatter said: “Prime Minister Cameron is heartily invited to  make his proposals.”

Blatter admitted football had become politicised.

“Football has become a monster which has to be tamed by  FIFA. We do that and we do it well. In particular after the  World Cup in Africa because nobody believed in it,” he said.

“The awarding of the World Cup has become a political issue.  Heads of state pay court to me.”

Asked if he would still be FIFA president to open the Qatar  World Cup in 2022, Blatter said: “Definitely not. If God wills  it, I will be invited to the opening party on crutches or in a  wheelchair.”