The former FIFA president alleged to have witnessed the rigging of draws for UEFA competitions but claims he was never involved.
Sepp Blatter denies giving Argentina an
easy draw at the 2014 World Cup, but claims he has witnessed fixes at
UEFA level through the use of “cold and hot balls”.
Argentina were pitted against Nigeria,
Iran and Bosnia-Herzegovina in Brazil two years ago, but the disgraced
former FIFA president denied there was an intention to give the two-time
world champions a favourable group.
However, Blatter alleges to have
witnessed premeditated draws by Europe’s governing body, with
refrigerated balls used to rig the outcome.
“The [2014 World Cup] draw was clean until the last detail,” the 80-year-old said in an interview with Argentine publication La Nacion.
“I never touched the balls, which was
something that others had to do. Of course, it can be signalled, by
heating or cooling them.
“It’s technically possible. It did not
happen in FIFA, but I witnessed draws at a European level in which it
happened – but never in FIFA.
“It could have happened, but in my case it never did, ever.
“If you put the balls in the
refrigerator before, a simple comparison between one and the other by
touching them determines the cold and hot balls. By touching them you
already know what it is.”
The former president was suspended
when the adjudicatory chamber of FIFA’s Independent Ethics Committee
ruled a payment of two million Swiss francs (£1.3 million) to former
UEFA chief Michel Platini, which he authorised, infringed on world
football’s governing body’s code of ethics.
Source -goal.com
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