Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter has said the decision to hold the 2022 World Cup in Qatar was a “mistake” amid serious concerns about the Gulf nation’s ability to host the global festival of football later this month. He suggested that the decision was linked to the country agreeing an arms deal with France.

The event, which is due to kick off on November 20, has been dogged by accusations of human rights abuses involving migrant workers who helped to build the tournament’s infrastructure, as well as the country’s hardline stance on same-sex couples and the LGBTQ community.

Blatter was in charge of FIFA when Qatar won the vote to become the host nation in December 2010 and claims there was a prearranged agreement among the organization’s executive committee that the 2018 tournament would go to Russia and the 2022 World Cup to the United States.

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