Blatter: 'Political influence' helped Qatar

In an interview with German magazine Die Zeit, Blatter claimed European political leaders urged their football associations to vote for Qatar due to 'economic interests' in the Middle Eastern country.

Qatar's role as 2022 World Cup hosts has been controversial since they won the bid in December 2010 with accusations of corruption, plus the ongoing saga over whether the tournament can be safely held in the northern hemisphere's summer.

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