According to suspended FIFA president Sepp Blatter, there was a plan in place to award Russia the 2018 World Cup prior to the vote being held.

Blatter, 79, spoke this week with Russian news agency, Tass and made the revelation that "discussions" occurred before the vote took place in December of 2010 that would have awarded the 2018 tournament to Russia and the 2022 edition to the United States.

"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," Blatter replied when asked if awarding both the 2018 and 2022 World Cups at the same time was a mistake. "And so we will have the World Cup in the two biggest political powers."

The 2022 World Cup was ultimately awarded to Qatar following a late uptick in voting for the Middle Eastern nation.

"Four votes from Europe went away from the USA and so the result was fourteen to eight," Blatter said. "If you put the four votes, it would have been twelve to ten. 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."

In the interview, Blatter claims that the ongoing investigation into FIFA corruption is a targeted attack against him from both UEFA and the United States and blames UEFA president Michel Platini, also suspended for his part in the scandal, for starting it.

"Yeah, (Platini) started it, but then it became politics," Blatter said. "And when it is in politics, it is not any longer Platini against me. It is then those, who have lost the World Cup. England against Russia. They lost the World Cup. And the USA lost the World Cup against Qatar. But you cannot destroy FIFA. FIFA is not the Swiss bank. FIFA is not a commercial company. So, what they have done together with the Swiss, they have created this attack towards FIFA and the president of FIFA. And I am sure that at the beginning when UEFA said they don’t want me, they didn’t know that finally it came out with such a political importance."

Blatter believes that there is no criminal activity at the heart of the investigation.

"I think this crisis, and this is also the idea of my lawyers, has nothing to do with any criminal activity," said Blatter. "Has nothing to do. So it was by perception. And the perception is given by whom? If you open the newspapers, if you open the television, every day it said – Blatter must go. The victim of all that finally is Platini."

Blatter, president since 1998, is currently under a 90-day suspension. On February 26, a vote will take place to elect his successors. FIFA released a list of the seven candidates, including Platini, who are standing for election on Wednesday.

The other six are Prince Ali bin al-Hussein, Musa Bility, Jerome Champagne, Gianni Infantino, Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim al-Khalifa and Tokyo Sexwale.