Blatter wants 2022 Qatar World Cup moved to winter
FIFA President Sepp Blatter plans to ask the governing body's executive committee to consider moving the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to the winter in order to avoid the searing summer heat.
"If this World Cup is to become a party for the people, you can't play football in the summer,'' Blatter said Wednesday.
"You can cool down the stadiums but you can't cool down the whole country.''
Despite health concerns included in an official report before the vote, the FIFA executive committee opted for the tiny emirate's bid in 2010.
Blatter has repeatedly refused to say if he backed Qatar, which can have temperatures of 50 degrees C during the summer.
In May, Blatter said in an interview with a French newspaper it would be "not rational and reasonable'' to stage the first World Cup in the Middle East in the summertime.
Moving the tournament to the winter would have a major impact on the schedule of European football leagues, which would have to change things for at least one season.
"There is still enough time,'' Blatter said. "I will bring this up to the executive committee.''
Air-conditioned stadiums to beat the heat were a defining theme of Qatar's bid, but the cooling technology only resolves the problem in venues for players, fans and officials.
"We have to protect our partners, our commercial partners, our TV partners. We have to be tough on this,'' said Blatter, who spoke during a two-day conference on sports, media and economy set up by German great Franz Beckenbauer in Austria.
The head of the local organizing committee, Hassan Al-Thawadi, said Qatar bid for a tournament in the summer but left the option open of a possible switch to another time of the year.
"It there is a wish from the football community to move the World Cup to the winter, we are open for it,'' said Al-Thawadi, who spoke to the conference through a live video connection.
Source: AP
Image: Mohammed bin Hamad Al Thani & Sepp Blatter
..Just wondering if this old man would be still around by that time to enjoy the festival of football
In all probability seems by that time most of the football clubs would have been bought over by Qatar & so there wont be any issue for rescheduling...:)
It amazes me that this issue was never raised before the bid.
Moving it to the winter will seriously p*ss off all the European countries. Maybe they will break away and decide not to go to the WC and create their own breakaway competition. I would love to see the look on Septic Blatter's face when he watches his FIFA empire crash and burn around him!
Anyway, he will probably be dead soon.
Blatter once said the World Cup will be held in June and July and now he says it could be cahnged to the winter months.
FIFA the disgusting corrupt body is charge of football, will have serious questions to answer if they do this.
1. The summer heat was not a secret so why did they award to Qatar in the first place?
2. How can they now be worried about risk to players health, when their own report pointed that out as a risk before the award?
3. Will they submit to a rebid process now they are changing the terms of the competition?
I hope Australia and the others sue FIFA is they make this change as I would like to see Sepp Bellend Blatter cry as they have to pay money out
Now that makes sense..pots of money..:)
Because he is earning pots of money
why cant this old man just retire and leave football to the younger generation instead of holding on to his chair for so long. He seems not to remember the things that he himself had done
That I understand. Were the members of FIFA who voted in favor and for the games to be held in summer as propsoed by the hosting country oblivious to it? If not, shouldn't they be removed with immediate effect for doing a useless job.
They have to plan now and get get agreed by all the football associations like UEFA the AFC The African FA and the Latin American FA.
Then he should keep quite now or in future, isn't it?
HGL the World Cup was awarded by the members of the FIFA through a ballot. He did not have much say on it. But all he is saying is that he would recommend to the committee to change it from the traditional summer competition to a winter one.
lol...this guy passed under the Bodhi tree a few days back I guess or is an idiot of his own class...:) What was he doing when the WC was awarded. Creating unnecessary confusions now.
Yes TB it would, especially the European League fixtures. But if planned ahead for one season it can acheived, by adjusting the start and end of the season to accomodate the winter world cup in November or December in Qatar.
If anybody is thinking that the football will happen in summer is fooling themselves...
The only question is when will FIFA announce the Winter Worldcup..
Won't this mess up league fixtures for countries playing?
It would be sensible to move it to winter.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter admits Brazil may have been wrong choice for World Cup 2014 host
http://www.3news.co.nz/FIFA-President-Sepp-Blatter-admits-Brazil-may-have-been-wrong-choice-for-World-Cup-2014-host/tabid/415/articleID/305387/Default.aspx