Former FIFA President Sepp Blatter seen at World Cup

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Joseph "Sepp" Blatter, former President of Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), was seen at the stands of the Saint Petersburg Stadium for the match between Brazil and Costa Rica in Group E on Friday.

No secretary, no red carpet and no speech, 82-year-old Blatter still enjoyed the attention from the crowd. Carrying the same fan ID as everyone else, the FIFA chief kept being recognized from Moscow to St. Petersburg. When confronted with people who were surprised, Blatter would say, yes and I'm right here.

Sepp Blatter, former FIFA President in Russia /VCG Photo

When asked if he felt humiliated about coming to the FIFA World Cup without an official FIFA invitation, Blatter replied that he just met Netherlands' most famous player Clarence Seedorf at the hotel and, since people wanted to take pictures with him wherever he went, he did not feel any different than the last ten World Cups he went to.

FIFA refused to comment of Blatter's tour in Russia. But Blatter told everyone he met that he was invited by Russia. He did not care about a perceived bad image and insisted that he had done nothing wrong.

Blatter takes pictures with football fans. /VCG Photo

In an interview with China's xinmin.cn, Blatter gave some interesting answers to the reporter's questions.

Xinmin: "Will your appearance in Russia insult FIFA?"

Blatter: "My 'ban' from football is like the suspension of players, managers and referees. They can still attend training and go to the stadiums to watch matches, so can I. I'm not here as FIFA President so I can go to any stadium I want. Infantino (current FIFA chief) doesn't need to feel embarrassed."

Xinmin: "How is your relationship with Gianni Infantino?"

Blatter: "We're both Swiss. We live in neighboring towns of the same district. We also share a special relationship that we don't speak."

Xinmin: "What do you think of VAR" (Video Assistant Referee)?

Blatter: "VAR has failed for lack of consistency. I'm not against offering assistance to referees and FIFA already began to use Goal-line technology. But VAR is like the person in charge of the referee team. You need to make sure that all judgment in all matches are consistent."

Xinmin: "What do you think of the idea of China hosting the FIFA World Cup?"

Blatter: "It's a pity that China's not at this World Cup. But I know the Chinese wanted to host one, so they should send someone here to see how Russia did the job."