Qatar Football Leaders Dismiss Michel Platini's Call For A Winter World Cup in 2022

Despite UEFA President Michel Platini's calls for a winter 2022 World Cup, Qatar organizers "have no intention of switching the tournament from the summer," according to Mark Bisson of WORLDFOOTBALLINSIDER.com. The Frenchman has made "repeated calls for the change" since the oil-rich nation secured the World Cup in Dec. '10. Former FIFA Exec Committee Member Franz Beckbauer is among other leading football execs as well as the worldwide players' union FIFPro, who have supported Platini’s stance. They point to the "health risks for players of training and competing in June-July Qatar temperatures that can soar to 50ºC." Despite this skepticism, Qatar 2022 organizers remain "fully confident in the stadium cooling technologies" that were at the heart of their bid. These technologies would be used to lower temperatures in stadiums and training centers to 27ºC. However, "they are not yet proven technologies" (WORLDFOOTBALLINSIDER.com, 9/20).