Zurich, Switzerland – FIFA on Monday
raised objections to holding the 2022
Qatar World Cup in the summer
despite calls by top European clubs
and leagues.
FIFA’s medical chief highlighted the
health risk of holding matches
between May and September, while the
governing body’s secretary general
Jerome Valke said there would be a
clash with the Muslim fasting month.
After a meeting of a task force to
decide the dates of the Qatar
tournament, FIFA said that a
tournament in November-December or
January-February was favoured. No
firm decision has yet been taken
though.
“We are getting closer to narrowing
the dates for the FIFA World Cup to
two options – January/February 2022
or November/December 2022,” said
Valcke.
“But FIFA has also been asked to
consider May 2022,” he added.
“We will summarise what we’ve heard
today and provide feedback to all
parties in order for them to prepare
for the next meeting as we progress
towards a final decision.”
The European Clubs Association, which
groups 214 top clubs including Real
Madrid, Manchester United and
Bayern Munich, proposed April-May at
the meeting.
The Association of European
Professional Football Leagues (EPFL)
gave a presentation on holding the
matches in May-June.
Jiri Dvorak, FIFA’s chief medical
officer, set out the “medical
concerns related to player safety and
fan safety if the FIFA World Cup were
to be held between May and
September,” a FIFA statement said.
The tournament is traditionally held
in June and July and the decision to
give the tournament to Qatar has
faced intense criticism because of the
searing summer temperatures in the
Gulf State.
Valcke “highlighted the fact that the
month-long period of Ramadan would
begin on April 2 in 2022, which would
have an impact on a number of
players in their preparations for any
April/May option and with regard to
the preparation of the event itself,”
FIFA said.
Qatar organising committee chief
Hassan Al Thawadi said that “for the
Middle East, the ideal situation and
circumstances for an all-inclusive
World Cup would be for it to be held in
the winter.”
But he added that Qatar “remained
fully committed to delivering what
was promised in its bid and organising
the best possible event whatever is
decided.”
Valcke and FIFA executive member
Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa
will now provide recommendations for
the next meeting of the task force in
early 2015.
UEFA has argued for a tournament in
January/February 2022 to minimize
disruption to the Champions League.
But that could cause a clash with the
Winter Olympics which FIFA leader
Sepp Blatter has promised to avoid.
European clubs say that a November-
December will force them into a costly
shutdown when most Champions
League games are being played.
“We now have a greater
understanding of where each of the
stakeholders is coming from and we
will carefully consider these opinions
as we move forward towards defining
the international match calendar,”
said Khalifa.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2014/11/fifa-sticks-demand-winter-world-cup-qatar/