FIFA boss Sepp Blatter has praised Australia's bid for the 2022 World Cup, suggesting the lack of controversy surrounding it to be a strength, Australia's media reported on Saturday.
ABC Sports on Thursday said Australia looks to have lost a vital vote on it bids to host the 2022 World Cup, after FIFA on Thursday announced to suspend Oceania FIFA executive committee member Reynald Temarii.
Temarii was banned for one year and Nigeria's Amos Adamu three years following a bribery allegations in bidding for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Both men were fined and four other footballing officials were also sanctioned.
Tahiti's Temarii was expected to gift Australia a vote because of his close ties in the region but, he will now take no part in the December 2 process in Zurich of Switzerland.
The suspension will reduce FIFA's decision-making body to 22 members. Australia is the only bidding country not represented on the 22-man executive committee that will determine the hosts of the 2018 and 2022 tournaments next month.
However, Blatter said the Australia's lack of representation on the FIFA executive committee should not harm its chances.
Blatter thought it might not be a bad thing for Australia to be free of such ties.
"I don't think so...when you don't speak too much about a candidature, it means that it is a good one," Blatter told ABC News on Saturday. "But I can't see that (because) there is no representative from Australia, that Australia has less of a chance than the others".
The speech has indicated that Australia has gone to great lengths to win over Blatter's support, and the FIFA president will cast the deciding vote if it is locked at 11-11 between the final two bidding nations, ABC Sports said on Saturday.
South Korea, Japan, the United States and Qatar are all competing against Australia to hold the tournament in 12 years' time.