Blatter gives World Cup 9.25 out of 10

Wednesday, 16 July 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Reuters: FIFA President Sepp Blatter stopped short of saying the World Cup in Brazil was the best ever staged, but he gave it 9.25 out of 10 on Monday, describing it as a “very, very special” tournament highlighted by attacking football. Speaking the day after the month-long extravaganza ended with Germany crowned as champions after beating Argentina in the final, Blatter said he was delighted with the tournament.

“Brazil has improved on four years ago in South Africa,” he said. Four years ago he gave South Africa nine marks out of 10. Smiling broadly, Blatter told reporters at his post-tournament news briefing; “We consulted all our computers and our Facebooks last night and decided on 9.25 out of 10, so Brazil is an improvement on South Africa. “But I always say that perfection does not exist in football, or in life. “This was my 10th World Cup and my fifth as president and what makes this so very, very special was the quality of the football and the intensity of the games.” The final statistics tend to support the widespread belief that this tournament, which far outweighed expectations, is a contender for the best ever. The final goals tally of 171 equalled the record set in France in 1998, there was a 40% reduction in injuries and a vast improvement in discipline. There were 177 yellow cards and 10 red cards compared to 245 yellows in South Africa and 17 reds. The all-time low came in Germany with 307 yellows and 28 dismissals. But in real terms there was more games with a higher standard of play than in previous finals, with huge, knowledgeable crowds and vast hordes in fan fests. Turning to Russia which will host the World Cup in 2018 Blatter said: “It’s a footballing country but the bar has been raised.”