Football's world governing body is opposed to all boycotts of international sporting events and the Beijing Olympics is no exception, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said.

Blatter, speaking at the draw for the men's and women's football tournaments for the Beijing Games, said he was confident that all the footballers selected for their national teams would turn up in August.

The final few months of preparations for the Games have been overshadowed by protests -- mainly aimed at the Olympic torch relay -- after China's crackdown on deadly riots in Tibet last month.

Some rights groups have called for a boycott of the opening ceremony, if not the Games themselves.

"FIFA's position on a question of boycotts has always been the same: boycotts will never add anything, especially not to sport," he said.

"We do not enter into discussions (about) whether there can be or will be any boycotts. It does not exist in the FIFA philosophy to boycott any international sporting competition."

Blatter, an International Olympic Committee member, was equally firm in his opinion about the protests that have dogged the international legs of the torch relay.

"We have an Olympic torch that represents a message and an ideal of the Olympic spirit," he said.

"If such a torch is not able to be paraded around the world, then something is wrong with the world, not the Olympic torch."

When asked about the freedom of athletes to express their opinions on human rights issues at the Games, Blatter was succinct.

"I would say exactly, either you are a sportsman and you go to the sports competition or you are not," he said.

"It is in our statutes that nobody has to play in any international team, but so far in football everyone has always wanted to come. I'm sure it will be the same this year ... they will all come."

Blatter said the wave of patriotism that has washed across China in reaction to the torch relay protests was not a worry.

"We have no concerns to bring our teams here and to play our competition," he said. "We are proud to hold the Olympic Games in Beijing."

Eurosport