FIFA considers new dates for Qatar World Cup
The President of FIFA, Sepp Blatter, has said that a commission has been set up to look into alternate dates for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
A statement from the world football body noted, however, that no decision would be made on the change until the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
The FIFA World Cup is traditionally known to hold every four years during the summer.
The Qatar’s hosting right of the World Cup had been a subject of controversy with high concerns over the high temperature in the Arabian country in summer.
“Qatar will be played in 2022. I do not know if it will be winter or summer. No decision will be taken before 2014 World Cup,” the statement quoted the FIFA President
The statement said the new commission, headed by Asian Football Confederation President, Salman bin Ibrahim al-Khalifa, looks to be the first step to moving the Qatar World Cup to the winter.
Qatar was awarded the right to host the World Cup in December 2010, a decision based on the air-cooling technology promised in each venue.
In spite of the assurances from Qatar that the technology would be effective, concerns have been raised over the health of players and spectators in such searing heat.
The concerns prompted the FIFA president to announce that the World Cup be switched to a cooler time of the year.
However, the announcement was met with strong opposition due to clashes with other sporting events, including the Winter Olympics, the Champions League and the Super Bowl.
