kicker: The Bundesliga is celebrating its 50th birthday. What do you remember about how it began in 1963, Mr Blatter?
Sepp Blatter: I still remember the regional championships in the Oberliga, the precursors of the Bundesliga. I even know the first Bundesliga coach who came to work for FIFA – Karl-Heinz Marotzke, who had coached Schalke 04 in the 1960s and went on to become the coach of the Ghana national football team. I congratulate Germany on the Bundesliga, which is a recipe for success and a showcase league. And that also applies when you compare it at an international level, with its structure, its control measures, its sense of financial responsibility and its attendance figures – I heartily congratulate them!
kicker: At the most recent FIFA Ballon d’Or awards ceremony in January, again no Bundesliga player was included in the World XI and the best German player only came 15th in the vote for the FIFA Ballon d’Or.
Blatter: It is quite incomprehensible that no Bundesliga player made it through to the final round of these votes when you consider the German national team’s position in the FIFA World Ranking and the success it has enjoyed at the last World Cup and EURO competitions. With Messi and Ronaldo, the world currently has two players who are so good that it is difficult for other players to make the podium. They are both goalscoring machines. But if we were to assess leagues, Germany would be right at the top. The Premier League receives the largest viewership worldwide, but I would give the Bundesliga first prize for its consistency and integrity.
kicker: You idolise the Bundesliga, yet as FIFA President, you are analysed more critically in Germany and England than in any other part of the world.
Blatter: I have just been in England and there is a positive opinion of FIFA and its president in that country. I can understand England’s disappointment at not being awarded the hosting rights of the World Cup and they were looking for a scapegoat. But here, let me tell you something about Germany...
kicker: Go ahead.
Blatter: We receive an awful lot of correspondence with best wishes for FIFA and its president, most of which are requesting autographs. Most of our correspondence comes from Germany.
kicker: You did not vote for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Blatter: I am not going to say whom I voted for.
kicker: UEFA President Michel Platini said that he voted for Qatar.
Blatter: It was a secret ballot and I shall respect that.
FIFA-Präsident Sepp Blatter (Mi.) mit den kicker-Chefredakteuren Jean-Julien Beer (li.) und Rainer Franzke.
kicker: Will the World Cup take place in summer or winter in Qatar?
Blatter: The FIFA Executive Committee’s decision still stands. The World Cup is held every four years in June or July. If Qatar wish to organise it differently, then the Qataris will have to speak with FIFA.
kicker: Would that mean a new tender for hosting the World Cup?
Blatter: No, a new situation would arise on which we would have to decide. So far, Qatar has not taken any steps towards requesting a different time period. But they do have until 2016 to do so, which is when the international match calendar is set until 2022.
kicker: Given his relations with Qatar, could Platini influence moving the matches to a different period?
Blatter: Both the FIFA President and the incumbent UEFA President, Michel Platini, must uphold the decision of the Executive Committee.
kicker: Platini has been criticised for his Qatar vote.
Blatter: People in top positions are always in the limelight. If people are currently talking more about Platini, then that is fine by me.
kicker: Shouldn’t Platini have been excluded from voting on the awarding of the World Cup after his meeting with former French President Sarkozy?
Blatter: I would prefer not to comment on that.
kicker: Had Platini informed FIFA of that meeting?
Blatter: Yes, we were aware of it.
kicker: Wasn’t that a problem?
Blatter: No, it was not.
kicker: Why not?
Blatter: When it comes to campaigning to host a World Cup, each candidate’s government must be firmly behind them. So at the diplomatic level, contact is established with the heads of state, who try to convince the people who have a vote of the merits of their candidacy. They are representing their country’s interests and that is only normal.
kicker: France wasn’t a candidate.
Blatter: No, but the candidates worked their contacts. There was also contact with Germany, which is a country that does a lot of business with Qatar, for example with companies like Deutsche Bahn, Hochtief and Siemens. As I said, both diplomatic and political aspects play a considerable role in the awarding of a World Cup and the Olympic Games.
kicker: There couldn’t be a greater contrast than between hosting the EURO 2020 in 13 different countries and hosting the World Cup two years later in Qatar, which is no bigger than a German federal state the size of Hessen. What is your opinion of the new plans for the EURO?
Blatter: A tournament should be played out in one country. As such, it creates identity and euphoria, just like the summer fairy tale in Germany, for instance. They have been overambitious with the 2020 tournament. It is no longer a European championship. It needs a new name, but I don’t know what. A European championship like that is lacking in heart and soul. I once said to Michel Platini: When the 2010 World Cup was being awarded, the former ruler of Libya, Colonel Gaddafi, said to me that each of Africa’s 53 countries would host a match and the final would take place in South Africa. He believed in that idea, but I told him it was unthinkable. So I also told Platini that there was nothing new about his idea.
kicker: There is also nothing new about the idea that Platini will replace you one day as FIFA President.
Blatter: If he wants to. I don’t know if he wants to.
kicker: Because he doesn’t know if you want to run for another term of office in 2015?
Blatter: He has a certain idea for the future of FIFA, which at some stage he will explain to the other continents. But he has not yet committed himself to that. For the immediate future, my focus is on pushing the major FIFA reform through at the Congress in Mauritius in May. Then we have the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. After that, anything could happen. If it is then established that FIFA will continue as it is, that it will remain global and that the pyramid will not collapse, then I will gladly hand the mantle over to a new president in 2015.
kicker: What steps is FIFA taking against racism in stadiums?
Blatter: We have just set up an anti-racism task force, which is not just tackling racism but discrimination in general. While a lot of the educational work must start with young people, we also need a list of sanctions. Theo van Seggelen from FIFPro, the players’ union, agrees both with the deduction of points and being banned from competitions provided sanctions are applied across the board – including the biggest clubs. The problem can only be tackled with fines and matches being played in empty stadiums. The Executive Committee will approve the procedure in the near future.
kicker: In terms of the Executive Committee, what does former DFB President Theo Zwanziger bring to the table?
Blatter: Theo Zwanziger is my main comrade-in-arms in this whole reform process. He is highly regarded and respected by the members of the Executive Committee.
kicker: What are the key points of the reform process?
Blatter: We have reorganised the supervisory bodies. The Ethics Committee has been divided up into two different bodies: an investigatory chamber and an adjudicatory chamber. In addition, the decision for the awarding of the World Cup will no longer be taken by the Executive Committee, but by the Congress. The presidential election will also see changes. An association who is putting forward a candidate will need between five and ten, or maybe even more, supporters from at least two confederations. Furthermore, all committee members will be elected by the Congress and will no longer be appointed by the Executive Committee. The imposition of an age limit or a restricted number of terms of office is not so relevant for the overall package of reforms. What is more important is the integrity check, which has been practised by referees for years. The introduction of a character reference caused outcry, but every company requires that when hiring its employees. So FIFA will also follow that procedure before anyone can take up office.
kicker: Do you still manage to watch football?
Blatter: I enjoy football every day. I watch football on every trip and I follow football on the TV. I am the biggest channel hopper there is. I have 600 channels and football is always being shown somewhere. Football is what keeps me going.
kicker: FIFA has 209 affiliated members. As its president, do you regard yourself as the most powerful person on earth?
Blatter: No. It is a position of responsibility with a lot of influence and I try to influence the development of football worldwide in a positive way. FIFA has a network of relations within football which stretches all the way to government circles. After all, there isn’t a single country in the world where football doesn’t mean anything. With the exception of the big European countries where the sport runs itself, football falls under the remit of sports ministers and even heads of government in at least 150 countries all over the world. We try to use this network for the good of the game and to inject discipline, respect, fair play, determination and self-assertion into football. If we can use the game to bring that to society, then we really will have accomplished something great.
kicker: What would a biography of Sepp Blatter be called?
Blatter: Football – My Life.
kicker: What headlines would you prefer to read about yourself?
Blatter: I’d prefer not to read any.
kicker: What headline would Blatter, the former sports journalist, write about Blatter, the FIFA President?
Blatter: If I weren’t stating the obvious, I’d probably say: A tough man from the Valais!
Interview: Jean-Julien Beer and Rainer Frannzke
Zur deutschen Fassung: Blatter: "2015 könnte ich das Zepter übergeben"