Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness has said awarding the tournament to South Africa was "the biggest wrong decision" FIFA have made, while Hull manager Phil Brown said the terrorist attack on the Togo team in Angola put a question mark against this summer's finals.

But Blatter has hit back with a furious tirade at the critics.

He told Press Association Sport: "I think it's a nonsense to combine what has happened in an Angola, a terrorist attack for political reasons, and mix it up with the World Cup in South Africa.

"In Germany people like Uli Hoeness and also representatives of the professional leagues are saying we should not go there.

"But every year 11 million tourists go to South Africa and nobody says they should not go there.

"It's a kind of anti-Africa prejudice, I think there is still in the so-called 'old world' a feeling that why the hell should Africa should organise a World Cup.

"Colonialists over the past 100 years have gone to Africa and taken out all the best things, and now they are taking all the best footballers. There's no respect."