Sepp Blatter has claimed that hot balls have been used in UEFA competitions!
The former FIFA president was speaking to an Argentinian newspaper who asked if the 2014 World Cup draw in Brazil had been rigged to suit neighbours Argentina.
Fans have long suspected that some gerrymandering has been at play in various cup competitions aimed at ensuring the bigger nations and clubs appear in the latter stages of tournaments to suit advertisers and television deals.
Blatter has been at the heart of the game for 40 years but as an outsider under suspicion there may be a lot of secrets that will soon be out in the open.
Asked specifically by La Nacion about the draw for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Blatter said: “The draw was clean down to the last detail. I never touched the balls, something that others did.
“Of course it’s possible that they can be signalled, by heating or cooling them. It doesn’t happen in Fifa, but I’ve witnessed draws at European level where it has happened, but never in Fifa.
“Of course it can be done, but it never happened under my watch, never.”
Asked about how a draw could be fixed he added: “Balls are put in the freezer before the draw, at the slightest touch you can tell if the balls are hot or cold. By touching them you know exactly what you have.”
Blatter was removed from the presidency of FIFA earlier this year with senior officers under investigation over almost every aspect of the game highlighted by the decisions to award the next World Cups to Russia and Qatar.
