Sepp Blatter says Russia 2018 agreement made before vote

Sepp Blatter says it was "agreed" to hold the 2018 World Cup in Russia before the vote even took place.

Blatter's revelation was made during an interview with a Russian news agency in which he also called his current suspension "total nonsense" and blamed FIFA's ongoing crisis on the last-minute decision of four Europeans to endorse Qatar as 2022 hosts.

Russia and Qatar were awarded hosting rights in December 2010 but, according to Blatter, the plan within FIFA was for Russia and the United States - not Qatar - to hold successive tournaments.

Blatter told TASS: "In 2010, we had a discussion of the World Cup and then we went to a double decision. For the World Cups, it was agreed that we go to Russia because it's never been in Russia, eastern Europe, and for 2022, we go back to America. And so we will have the World Cup in the two biggest political powers.

"And everything was good until the moment when [French president Nicolas] Sarkozy came in a meeting with the crown prince of Qatar, who is now the ruler of Qatar. And at a lunch afterwards with Mr Platini, he said it would be good to go to Qatar. And this has changed all pattern.