Robin Williams mercilessly trolled Sepp Blatter at the 1994 World Cup draw

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December 1, 2017 4:52 PM

There were a number of celebrities gathered onstage, but the late comedian stole the show.

Robin Williams stole the show at the 1994 World Cup draw, making numerous jokes at the expense of the former FIFA administrator Sepp Blatter.
The 2018 draw took place on Friday.

On Friday, soccer fans witnessed the latest version of one of the most surprisingly fun events in sports: the World Cup draw.

With celebrities, performers, and legends of the game in attendance, as well as plenty of competitive intrigue, we've seen some truly memorable moments occur at draws over the years. But the 1994 event, which featured a funny back-and-forth between Robin Williams and the then-FIFA general secretary Sepp Blatter, may take the cake as the most entertaining.

Williams was invited onstage to select the teams out of Pot 4, and he wasted no time in poking fun at his host. The comedian made jokes about Blatter's name ("Funny, I met you in the men's room just a minute ago!"), the color of the blue balls being selected, and just about anything else he could think of.

Take a look:

World Cup 1994 Draw - Robin Williams vs Sepp Blatter

It's clear that Blatter wasn't quite prepared for the Williams treatment, but at least the crowd was into it. The late comedian got the best reception of anyone in attendance, beating out fellow stars like Beau Bridges and Mario Andretti.

All the while, Williams' shtick is juxtaposed with straight-laced commentary on the newly completed groups from the ESPN broadcaster Bob Ley. It all makes for a bizarre and hilarious seven minutes, especially in light of this week's draw in Moscow.

The toughest groups for 2018 appear to be D and F — check out our coverage of the action here.

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