The 2022 World Cup in Qatar can only be held in November and December, says the head of Fifa's taskforce looking into possible dates for the tournament.

Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa has ruled out May, the preferred option of Europe's top leagues and clubs.

Qatar's bid proposed a summer tournament, but temperatures in the Gulf state are believed to pose a potential risk to players' health.

A January/February tournament would clash with the 2022 Winter Olympics.

"All parties have to compromise, not just the Europeans," Sheikh Salman said.

Hassan Al Thawadi, head of the Qatar 2022 World Cup organising committee, told BBC Sport the hosts were "ready to comply" with the "football community's decision".

"Whatever decision gets taken, we are ready to host it at any point in time," Al Thawadi said.

During the bidding process, Qatar presented plans for air-conditioned stadiums, fan zones and training grounds to address concerns over the summer heat.

"Whenever the World Cup is hosted, we're still moving ahead with the cooling technology for the legacy that it offers," Al Thawadi said.

Sheikh Salman's winter proposal raises the prospect of a stand-off with European clubs over domestic schedules and player availability .

However, his stance appears to have the backing of Michel Platini, president of European football's governing body Uefa.

The Frenchman has already said the World Cup will be held in winter because "it's not possible to play in May when it's 40 degrees".

Sheikh Salman, president of the Asian Football Confederation, said there were two winter options - January/February or November/December - but cited a clash between January 2022 and the Winter Olympics as undesirable.

However, a winter World Cup would also be problematic - not only for European league schedules, but for the Africa Cup of Nations, scheduled for January 2023 in Guinea.

Sheikh Salman said he hoped his proposal was "a done deal" and was hopeful a recommendation would be made at Tuesday's taskforce meeting in Doha. The tournament date will then be put to Fifa's executive committee for final approval in March.
http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/31587649

This is serious....

If approved, the European league would have to be rescheduled. We would probably see a March - October schedule for the UCL, and other competitions.

Bunch of hypocrites

It is the most wrong move ever , it will affect the whole football calendar both in Europe and Africa ...they shld think before they approve it .


Btw .that does not stop the super eagles from lifting that cup .