Sepp Blatter previously was opposed to the idea of cohosting the World Cup. But now the FIFA president accepts it, opening up possibilities for smaller countries to host the world's most prestigious single-sport event.
"I said I have to accept the cohosting as I'm now in the office of the president of FIFA. It was not my decision to have cohosting. . . . Cohosting is something which has a lot of positive aspects and this cohosting will bring the two countries and two cultures together," Blatter said Thursday in a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan in Tokyo.
But Blatter did not forget the negative side of cohosting, which is a financial problem, saying "double expense and one income." He added that FIFA will further examine cohosting through next year's World Cup, to be hosted by South Korea and Japan.