Fifpro Backs World Cup Winter Switch

FIFPro, the world footballers’ union, has put its backing behind proposals to move the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to the winter instead of summer.

With Gulf summer temperatures hitting 50C, FIFPro has said it is pleased FIFA is open to changing the tournament’s timing to address the issue of heat.

The president of world football’s governing body, Sepp Blatter, backed a possible switch to January 2022.

And in a statement, FIFPro said it ‘does not foresee any insurmountable problems in this regard’.

In the vote by FIFA’s executive committee on 2 December, Qatar beat Australia, Japan, South Korea and the United States to host the World Cup, which is traditionally held in June and July.

But the secretary of FIFPro’s technical committee, Tijs Tummers, has questioned the decision to award Qatar the tournament based on it still being held in the summer.

‘It is not sensible in a country with an average temperature of 41C in June and July, a midday temperature of 50C and, above all, extremely high humidity,’ Tummers said.

‘Tourists are advised not to travel to Qatar in the summer months and inhabitants leave the country en masse during this period.

‘The summer months in Qatar also do not provide suitable conditions for a festival of football such as the World Cup should be, including for the supporters.’

However Tummers insisted that by switching the dates the weather concerns could be countered, while players might be in better condition than if the tournament was held in its traditional slot at the end of a gruelling European season.

‘Space will have to be made for the tournament, even though many countries already have a winter break,’ the secretary of FIFPro’s technical committee added.

‘In Europe, competitive matches will have to be played in August and the second half of May and the first half of June.

‘If you look at what happened last weekend with weather problems in Europe because of heavy snowfall, you could see this as an advantage rather than as a problem.

‘And it might, perhaps, turn out that the players will be fitter at the start of a winter World Cup than was the case last summer at the World Cup in South Africa.’

The issue once more raises the prospect of the Premier League implementing a winter break – a scenario the organisation has hitherto disregarded.