00:43Switzerland: FIFA pushes Qatar World Cup decision back to 2014
Switzerland: FIFA pushes Qatar World Cup decision back to 2014
A decision will not be made on whether to delay the 2022 World Cup in Qatar until after next summer's tournament in Brazil, world football governing body FIFA announced on Friday. Fears of the extreme summer heat in Qatar have sparked a debate on whether the tournament should be hosted during the winter.
Walter de Gregoria, the Director of Communications and Public Affairs of FIFA, said: "Of course, since we play the World Cup from 1930 until now, we played in summer. It doesn't mean there won't be a time when you have to change it, so we will see if that is possible or not."
"The international match calendar for 2018 and 2022 has to be decided in a couple of years, so we still have time."
Temperatures in Qatar have been known to reach over 50 °C, which critics argue could prove a health risk for the players. However, if the tournament is hosted in the winter, it would affect a number of important domestic leagues, the UEFA Champions League, and the European Championship qualifiers. Due to tight scheduling, it could also have an adverse effect on the Winter Olympics.
00:43Switzerland: FIFA pushes Qatar World Cup decision back to 2014
A decision will not be made on whether to delay the 2022 World Cup in Qatar until after next summer's tournament in Brazil, world football governing body FIFA announced on Friday. Fears of the extreme summer heat in Qatar have sparked a debate on whether the tournament should be hosted during the winter.
Walter de Gregoria, the Director of Communications and Public Affairs of FIFA, said: "Of course, since we play the World Cup from 1930 until now, we played in summer. It doesn't mean there won't be a time when you have to change it, so we will see if that is possible or not."
"The international match calendar for 2018 and 2022 has to be decided in a couple of years, so we still have time."
Temperatures in Qatar have been known to reach over 50 °C, which critics argue could prove a health risk for the players. However, if the tournament is hosted in the winter, it would affect a number of important domestic leagues, the UEFA Champions League, and the European Championship qualifiers. Due to tight scheduling, it could also have an adverse effect on the Winter Olympics.