Joseph «Sepp» Blatter, a Swiss football administrator who was president of FIFA from 1998 to 2015, has openly backed Morocco’s 2026 World Cup bid.
He tweeted on Thursday that «Morocco would be the logical host! And it is time for Africa again!» He added saying referring to the joint bid presented by the three American nations, namely USA, Canada and Mexico : «co-Hosting rejected by FIFA after 2002».
This is not the first time that Blatter endorses the Moroccan bid. In fact, in October 2017 he criticized the American bid while encouraging the Moroccan one saying : «For me a coalition of three countries in North America, and the submission of a joint nomination will not be useful to them, especially as there are problems between the United States of America and Mexico, which may serve Morocco, which is determined to organize the competition».
World Cup 2026: Co-Hosting rejected by FIFA after 2002 (also applied in 2010 and 2018). And now: Morocco would be the logical host! And it is time for Africa again! #Fifa #CAF #@FIFAWorldCup
— Joseph S Blatter (@SeppBlatter) 22 février 2018
«The economic and political problems between the countries competing against Morocco will help Morocco win the honor of organizing the World Cup in 2026, and today there is every chance to get this honor», he told media.
Blatter's endorsement of the Moroccan bid is not necessarly a positive thing as the Swiss footballer has led a controversial career heading FIFA for years. In 2015, when his term ended, American prosecutors charged several of soccer officials of corruption and World Cup vote buying. He was later banned for six years from soccer after giving Michil Platini an uncontracted salary of $2 million.