Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter has slammed the unprecedented decision to hold the 2030 World Cup in six countries across three continents and five time Zones.

Morocco, Spain and Portugal were named last week as main hosts, while Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay will stage the opening three matches to mark the tournament’s centenary.

The  87  year  old  Blatter  famously ran FIFA from 1998 to 2015 before being banned and forced out in disgrace as part of the fifagate scandal………….but his views still carry considerable sway amongst his supporters.

He  told  a  swiss  newspaper    that  it  is   absurd to tear the tournament apart in this way………he  adds  that  the world cup finals must be a compact event, while  warning    that   warning  that   the tournament risked losing its identity.

Blatter believes strongly that the 2030 tournament should take place in its entirety in south America to mark the100th anniversary of the first event that was hosted and won by Uruguay, in 2015, Blatter and former UEFA chief Michel Platini were both banned from football for eight years over claims that  Blatter   had unlawfully paid the Frenchman  2 million  Swiss  Francs  in 2011.

The bans were later reduced – and last year the pair were cleared of corruption charges by a Federal criminal court in Switzerland. 

Blatter always claimed the payment followed a ‘gentleman’s agreement’ made between them when Platini agreed to become his advisor after the 1998 World Cup in France.

In  the  meantime  another aspect of the 2030 decision is that whilst Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay experience winter in June and July, it is summer in Morocco, Portugal and Spain, meaning some countries could face entirely different climates in a matter of days.