Sepp Blatter said a decision on whether to move the 2022 World Cup to winter may not come till 2015.
ZURICH: After all the talk about changing the dates of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, it will be another year or more before any decision is made.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter ordered “deep consultations” on Friday about shifting the tournament from the summer in the country, saying a decision on the issue might be delayed until 2015.
Blatter also reiterated that the tournament will definitely stay in Qatar, and said he will travel to the country to discuss various issues. “The 2022 World Cup will be played in Qatar — that’s it,” Blatter said. “We don’t know if it’s winter or summer. I do not know what will be the outcome.”
FIFA’s executive committee agreed on Friday to set up a working group to study the options of changing the tournament from the usual June-July period.
“We need to carry out very deep consultations. We need to show some diplomacy and wisdom,” Blatter said. The two-day FIFA board session followed weeks of intense speculation, fuelled by Blatter, that FIFA would switch the dates.
AP
