European football chief Michel Platini has renewed his calls for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to be moved to the winter months.
UEFA supremo Platini, widely tipped as the heir apparent to FIFA president Sepp Blatter, said he plans to push for the tournament to be moved from its traditional slot in June and July.
In comments made in an interview with the UK’s Telegraph newspaper, Platini remains adamant that the tournament in Qatar can take place in mid-winter with a minimum of disruption to top leagues across Europe.
“The World Cup is the most important moment for the game every four years but where does it say we always have to play in June? I don’t see the problem of playing in December,” Platini told the paper.
“What is the problem for the Premier League to finish at the end of May instead of the beginning, and recuperate the time in December? We have to put the World Cup and the fans first,” he added.
Platini first suggested the winter switch to avoid Qatar’s searing summer temperatures after a UEFA executive committee meeting in Limassol, Cyprus last September.
In December, former Italy captain Fabio Cannavaro, whose playing career ended in Dubai, said it would not be possible to hold the 2022 World Cup in Qatar in the summer.
In comments published by Italian news agency ANSA, the former World Cup winner said he expects the tournament to be switched to the winter because of the intense heat.
“(In Qatar) they have enormous economic resources to be able to do anything, but between June and September it is really hot, so FIFA will surely consider other dates,” said Cannavaro, whose last team was Al-Ahli Dubai.
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