UEFA president Michel Platini has said that the 2022 Qatar World Cup will be played in winter. This comes in the wake of FIFA’s medical chief raising objections to holding the tournament in the summer months. These stances are both in direct opposition to some of Europe’s biggest leagues, who want the competition to be staged in May.
Speaking to the BBC, Platini said that the clubs and leagues opposed to winter dates will have to accept whatever decision is made.
"It'll never be in April, May or June. It will be in winter.
"It's not the clubs that are playing, it's the players and it's not possible to play in May when it's 40 degrees," he stated today.
The English Premier League, German Bundesliga and Spanish La Liga are all in favour of a May World Cup in order to limit disruption to their respective leagues. However, the secretary-general of FIFPro has said that players may boycott a summer World Cup in Qatar due to the health risks posed.
Theo van Seggelen has said that his organisation “will take all necessary measures” and “advise players not to go” should summer dates be confirmed.
Organising a winter tournament has also been made more difficult due to FIFA President Sepp Blatter already agreeing not to stage the tournament at the same time as the 2022 Winter Olympics. This would rule out a January-February tournament.
Taking the comments of Blatter, Platini and van Seggelen into account, it seems a November-December World Cup 2022 is now the most likely scenario.
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