DOHA: The FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar should be played one month earlier than planned, according to English football legend Kevin Keegan .
With FIFA President Sepp Blatter suggesting the World Cup should be moved from summer to winter, the former England manager wants to see a change in date rather than a season switch.
“The best thing is to stage Qatar 2022 World Cup one month earlier,” Keegan told Qatar-based Pan-Arab magazine Estad-Aldoha.
The former Liverpool striker said: “Yes, the World Cup has to come to the Middle East and it is better to come to Qatar. You know you look round it, (Qatar) has the stadiums, infrastructure, airlines, the airports, the travel, the hotels, everything. The only problem everyone is talking about is the heat. That is the only thing, so we can try to switch the tournament to another time of the year.”
Keegan added: “I don’t think the World Cup should go to the winter, it can be one or two months earlier.”
Keegan was in Doha as a television pundit for Al Jazeera Sport. During his trip, he visited Aspetar Hospital of Aspire Zone with Senior Orthopaedic And Sports Medicine Surgeon Nebojsa Popovic.
Keegan said that despite visiting a lot of sports hospital around the world, what he has seen at Aspetar was unmatched in terms of the expertise and facilities available.
The 62-year-old started his career at Scunthorpe United, before scoring 68 goals in 230 appearances to help Liverpool clinch two UEFA Cups, a European Cup, one FA Cup and three league titles.
He then moved to Hamburg but returned to England with Southampton and Newcastle United. He ended his playing career with Blacktown City in 1985.
Having enjoyed a rich playing career, Keegan took charge at Newcastle United, who narrowly missed out to Manchester United in the English Premier League (EPL) in 1997. One season before, they finished runner-up.
After a spell with Fulham, Keegan was appointed England manager in 1999, but resigned in October 2000 after a 1-0 defeat against Germany.
Having guided Manchester City to the EPL, Keegan’s last managerial position was an unsuccessful return at Newcastle United in 2008.
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