FIFA is not considering changing when the 2022 World Cup in Qatar is played despite fears the intense heat poses a serious health risk if the tournament is played in summer.
FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke said yesterday that he accepts “worries about the heat are legitimate” but that the intention remains not to waver from the original plans.
“Certain people, like Franz Beckenbauer, said this weekend that we should change the calendar and put this World Cup in a winter period, but the invitation to tender was to play this World Cup in June, and that’s how it was done and countries replied on this basis.” Valcke said
The international football calendar is set until 2014 and no discussion for any possible changes is expected before then, Valcke said.
Before the World Cup vote, FIFA’s technical report labeled Qatar’s heat a “potential health risk” with average summer temperatures hovering at 41 degrees Celsius and peaking near 50.
Valcke says that won’t be a problem since Qatar has huge financial means to ensure a state-of-the art cooling system in stadiums and training grounds.
Ruled by the Al Thani family, Qatar has committed $42.9 billion for infrastructure upgrades and $4 billion to build nine stadiums and renovate three others. All the stadiums plan to keep temperatures at about 27 degrees Celsius.
FIFA’s decision last week to award the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 edition to Qatar was met with a mixture of vitriol and genuine surprise.
Russia was preferred despite England having one of the best technical bids and joint offers from Belgium-Netherlands and Spain-Portugal. Qatar beat Australia, Japan, United States, and South Korea.
Valcke defended the decision to favor new countries and snub traditional football strongholds like England and Spain.
Among the most hostile reaction came from England’s media.
Just three days before the vote in Zurich, FIFA was hit by corruption allegations when three senior officials were accused by the European media of having received secret payments.
Executive committee members Ricardo Teixeira of Brazil, Nicolas Leoz of Paraguay and Issa Hayatou of Cameroon were said to have allegedly received payoffs from world football’s former marketing agency.