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FIFA President Sepp Blatter Confident 2022 World Cup Will Move To Winter

August 25, 2013 10:07 pm EDT by gplus

sepp blatter

Witters Sport- USA Today Sports

It is well-known that FIFA President Sepp Blatter wants to move the 2022 World Cup in Qatar from its traditional summer slot to the winter. Because of Qatar’s dangerously high summer temperatures, Blatter wants to move the dates of the World Cup rather than switch the host. On Sunday, Blatter talked to the Associated Press and is confident that the 2022 World Cup will be moved to the winter months.

”I would be very much surprised, more than surprised, if the ExCo (executive committee) will not accept the principle you cannot play in summer in Qatar,” Blatter said in an interview on the sidelines of the annual charity football tournament in his home village. ”What will be following, this would be then decided later.”

However, I wouldn’t be as confident as Blatter. The World Cup should not happen in Qatar in the summer, but who’s to say that big-name soccer leagues would be okay with a winter move? Soccer leagues like the English Premier League and Major League Soccer play in November and parts of December.

In addition, it is unclear when a winter 2022 World Cup would take place, but due to the 2022 Winter Olympics, the World Cup cannot happen in January and February.

The executive committee will be meeting on October 3-4 to discuss the possible move and could approve the change. If the World Cup shift is approved, then the 2019-2022 international calendar will need to be set and adjusted for the World Cup date change.

The 2022 World Cup drama is far from over, and don’t expect this to be the last time you hear Blatter talk about wanting a winter World Cup in Qatar. Moreover, domestic soccer leagues could show their disapproval if a winter move is granted.

FIFA screwed up by awarding Qatar the 2022 World Cup to begin with, and now they have to deal with some big decisions that could cause a mighty mess. I say FIFA should just switch the 2022 World Cup’s host, which I think will be less of a logistical mess than moving the dates of the tournament.

Follow Phil Naegely on Facebook, Twitter @PnaegelyRS, and  Google.


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  • http://www.facebook.com/king.mak.543 King Mak

    For the health of players is just a
    kind of smoke as the Qatar’s bidding document stressed the provision of air
    conditioning systems that can reduce temperatures from 50 to 27 °C (122 to 81
    °F). The bidding committee also proposes to use such cooling technologies in
    fan-zones, training pitches and walkways between metro stations and stadiums
    (Worldfootballinsider.com. 28 April 2010).

    If the Qatar bidding committee is
    going to eat their words, then FIFA should declare the Qatar’s holding right of
    the 2022 waived. As such, re-bidding should take place.

    This is the ugliest scandal upright in the public. While FIFA and most
    decent soccer fans are against match-fixing, this UEFA head wittingly
    chose a very bad location because of some of his non-monetary-direct
    reasons, promising in advance that he would change from summer to winter
    should Qatar won. Even non-monetary-direct, this is a cheat obviously. Why
    is he so shameless?

    • Phil Naegely

      King Mak- I agree. The rights should be waived and it should be re-bid for. Blatter says some the stupidest things some times.

      It has been known that Qatar said they were going to put in cooling stations etc, but will they actually help much for fans etc.

      All Qatar has is oil.

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