FIFA President Sepp Blatter said that the presidents of France and Germany "tried to exert political pressure before the World Cup was awarded to Russia and Qatar in '10," according to Tim Röhn of WELT AM SONNTAG. Blatter: "There were two political interventions before the the World Cups were awarded to Russia and Qatar. Mr. (Nicolas) Sarkozy and (Christian) Wulff tried to influence their voting representatives. Therefore we now have a World Cup in Qatar. The people who decided this should also take responsibility." Blatter added that the German Football Federation (DFB) received a recommendation from Wulff that Germany "should vote for Qatar for ecomomic interests." Former DFB President Theo Zwanziger said that Wulff "called him prior to the World Cup vote and asked about Qatar's chances." Wulff "denied trying to influence the vote in his book." Franz Beckenbauer, who was Germany's elector in '10, "has remained silent on his vote" (WELT AM SONTAG, 7/5). REUTERS' Madeline Chambers reported "no one was immediately available at Sarkozy's office or Wulff's office to comment." FIFA said that Blatter "was correctly quoted." UEFA President Michel Platini has repeatedly said that "nobody had asked him to vote for Qatar." Platini: "Neither Sarkozy nor anyone." However, he also said that he and Sarkozy "had a lunch with Qataris" (REUTERS, 7/5).
