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Sepp Blatter has turned down BBC and Sky’s invitation to take part in a live television debate involving all four candidates for the FIFA presidency.
The other three candidates — FIFA vice-president Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein of Jordan, Dutch FA president Michael van Praag and former Portugal international Luis Figo — had all agreed to take part in the debate but current FIFA president Blatter has refused to do so.
He gave no reason for the refusal which he communicated through a FIFA official. He is however likely to face questions about his refusal at a news conference in Zurich on Friday following FIFA’s executive committee meeting which will decide on the dates for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The debate has therefore been cancelled since the main candidate has turned it down.