Winter Switch Looms For 2022 Qatar World Cup, Says Jerome Valcke

The prospect of switching the dates for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar so that it is played in winter is increasing, a leading FIFA official has admitted.
"We are getting closer to narrowing the dates to two options - January and February 2022 or November and December 2022," said FIFA secretary-general Jerome Valcke said on Monday.
"But FIFA has also been asked to consider May 2022."
Valcke was speaking after a FIFA meeting in Zurich in which the European Clubs Association (ECA) had proposed the tournament be held from late April to May.
"We believe it is the best option," ECA president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, chairman of Bayern Munich, said last week.
The World Cup being played in April and May would mean less disruption to domestic seasons than it taking place in November and December.
However, some leagues would then have to stage domestic cup finals in June.
And Valcke pointed out the month-long period of Ramadan would begin April 2, 2022, which could have an impact on the preparation of some players.
The EPFL body, representing the European soccer leagues, proposed a May-June tournament, only slightly earlier than the usual slot of June-July.
A January-February time frame for the competition could be problematic due to a potential clash with the 2022 Winter Olympics which are traditionally held in February.
Hassan Al Thawadi, head of the local organising committee for Qatar 2022, insisted that his country could deliver a summer World Cup, as promised in its winning bid, if desired, but that a winter solution was preferred.
"The objective of today's meeting was to receive feedback from all parties and to work on narrowing the options," said Sheikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, the president of the Asian Football Confederation, who chaired the meeting.
"We are pleased with the level of detail provided by the participants and with the productive discussions that took place today.
"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."
The next meeting discussing the dates of the 2022 World Cup will be in early 2015.
DPA