FIFA president Sepp Blatter denounce critics of South Africa hosting the World Cup

By Andrew Warshaw

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has once again gone on the attack to denounce critics of South Africa hosting the World Cup.

Blatter has long waged a personal crusade to bring the tournament to the African continent and couldn’t contain his wrath after Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness’ was quoted as saying it was “the biggest wrong decision” FIFA has ever made.

“It’s an anti-Africa prejudice,” Blatter responded. “There is still in the so-called ‘old world’ a feeling that why the hell should Africa organise a World Cup.”

Several critics have linked the terrorist attack on the Togo team bus in Angola during the African Nations Cup, which killed two members of staff, with this summer’s finals. But Blatter said: “I think it’s a nonsense to combine what has happened in Angola, a terrorist attack for political reasons, and mix it up with the World Cup in South Africa.

“In Germany people like Uli Hoeness and also representatives of the professional leagues are saying we should not go there. But every year 11 million tourists go to South Africa and nobody says they should not go there.

“Colonialists over the past 100 years have gone to Africa and taken out all the best things, and now they are taking all the best footballers.

There’s no respect.”