ZURICH: FIFA leader Sepp Blatter on Friday joined figures who have questioned the timing of a police raid to arrest top football figures just two days ahead of a presidential vote by the world body.

Blatter also told the FIFA congress that the world body might not be embroiled in its corruption scandal if Russia and Qatar had not been awarded the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

Blatter condemned corruption within FIFA, but said: “It’s not good that all this comes out exactly two days before the FIFA election.

“People talk about a coincidence, but I have a small question mark about the timing,” he said.

Blatter sought a fifth straight term in the election in the face of fierce European opposition.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and other sports officials have spoken openly of a conspiracy or questioned the timing of the action. Russia beat England to get the 2018 World Cup, while Qatar was surprise choice to host the 2022 tournament, with the United States one of the losing candidates.Sheikh Ahmad al-Fahad al-Sabah, president of the Olympic Council of Asia and a new FIFA executive member, told AFP the police raid was “Hollywood style”.

“Many people are asking questions about these events but no one has said it because they are scared of the FBI,” said the sheikh who was in the Baur au Lac hotel when the arrests were carried out. “Why did they want to do it two days before the congress? They could have done it six weeks before.

“If England and America had secured the 2018 and 2022 World Cups would this procedure have been the same?” he asked.

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2015

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