Sepp Blatter, the former president of FIFA, has acknowledged that it was "mistake" to award Qatar the World Cup this month.

When the executive committee of the body that governs football in the world decided that the tournament would be held in Russia and Qatar in 2018 and 2022, respectively, the 86-year-old was in charge.

There have been issues with low-paid migrant workers and laws that discriminate against same-sex relationships prior to this year's World Cup.

Blatter is adamant that he did not vote for Qatar but rather for Russia to host the first tournament, followed by the United States, as a "gesture of peace."

"The decision to go with Qatar was flawed."

"At the time, the executive committee actually decided that Russia should host the 2018 World Cup and the USA the 2022 edition.

Blatter told the Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger that it would have been a "peace gesture" if the two longtime political rivals had alternately hosted the World Cup.

He added that Qatar is “too small a country” and “football and the World Cup are too big for that.”