Sepp Blatter blames Michel Platini backing out of a secret FIFA pact to award the 2022 World Cup to the United States.

Blatter's allegations in an interview with the Financial Times come almost a year after a FIFA ethics investigation exonerated 2018 host Russia and 2022 winner Qatar of corruption in winning the contentious dual votes in 2010.

Blatter is provisionally suspended from the FIFA presidency while under investigation for financial wrongdoing.

Sepp Blatter is claiming there was an agreement in place to award the 2018 and 2022 tournaments to Russia and the United States before voting had begun.

In December 2010, the 2018 and 2022 World Cups were awarded to Russia and Qatar respectively by FIFA's executive committee.

Blatter, 79, believes Fifa would not have become engulfed in a crisis had the USA been awarded the 2022 World Cup instead of Qatar.

The intervention of Nicolas Sarkozy changed the pre-planned course of events.

“In 2010 we had a discussion of the World Cup and then we went to a double decision,” said Blatter. “For the World Cups it was agreed that we go to Russia because it’s never been in Russia, eastern Europe, and for 2022 we go back to America. And so we will have the World Cup in the two biggest political powers.

“And everything was good until the moment when Sarkozy came in a meeting with the crown prince of Qatar, who is now the ruler of Qatar [Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani]. And at a lunch afterwards with Mr Platini he said it would be good to go to Qatar. And this has changed all pattern.

“There was an election by secret ballot. Four votes from Europe went away from the USA and so the result was 14 to eight. If you put the four votes, it would have been 12 to 10. If the USA was given the World Cup, we would only speak about the wonderful World Cup 2018 in Russia and we would not speak about any problems at FIFA.”

Sepp Blatter has been provisionally suspended for 90 days by the ethics committee of world football's governing body.

A former advisor of Blatter, Klaus Stoehlker, has told The Guardian the ruling was made pending an ongoing criminal investigation by the Swiss attorney general involving the FIFA president.

The verdict was described as pending as no negative findings have yet been made against Blatter.

The 90-day suspension is the longest the ethics committee can suspend an official without a conviction and is a significant blow to Blatter, who has maintained his innocence during the ongoing FIFA scandal.