Leading European clubs want FIFA to hold the Qatar World Cup in April 2022, Bayern Munich chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said in a British newspaper interview published on Wednesday.
A task force set up by world governing body FIFA will meet in Zurich next week to investigate the feasibility of moving the tournament from its traditional mid-year slot, amid fears about soaring summer temperatures in Qatar.
FIFA and its European counterpart UEFA want the tournament to be staged during the Northern Hemisphere winter, but Rummenigge, who chairs the European Club Association (ECA), thinks it should take place in the spring.
“At the moment, there are two proposals on the table: the FIFA proposal in November and the UEFA proposal in January,” Rummenigge told The Times. “Our proposal is a bit different. We will publish that in the next few days.
“We have made some research … and the outcome of this research is that the best option would be to start the World Cup at the end of April, finishing in May.
“It’s still hot, but it would be something like 35 degrees (Celsius) maximum. If you then play in the evening, let’s say 7:00 pm and 9:30 pm, then 9:30 pm (in Qatar) is 7:30 pm in central Europe, 6:30 pm in the UK.
“From all points of view, that’s no problem. We will bring this option to the table to discuss at the FIFA task force on November 3.”
nordster
Guest
Shouldnt be so hard then, i know. Bundesliga and some northern leagues. Though it'd need to be longer than six weeks for lead up training etc.
JohnL
Guest
A few of the European leagues already have a winter break.
George Haida
Roar Rookie
Qatar's about 7 hours behind us depending on daylight savings i think, so looking at same kind of timings throughout the night as this years Cup
nordster
Guest
April will be slightly less disruptive. For europe... But how about just once europe has their seasons take a mid season break as east asia does every time there is a world cup. December would be a better option. Who knows, maybe by 2022 we'll be in the bold new world of a 'One Football' calendar year season here and it will fit in just nicely after our FFA cup season ender. :) Looking forward to seeing a world cup in the middle east, whether it be april or december.
mattq
Guest
what will these timeslots mean to Australian audiences?