A proposal being considered by FIFA for the '22 World Cup in Qatar is to "play the 90 minute games over three 30-minute periods if the temperatures inside the stadiums" exceed approximately 86 degrees "because of the potential health risks involved," according to Luke Edwards of the London TELEGRAPH. Arup Associates Dir Michael Beavon said that "air-conditioned, indoor stadiums will help, but even that might not be enough to keep them at a safe temperature." A FIFA spokesperson "attempted to calm fears that a huge break in tradition is about to happen last night, insisting nothing has been finalised at this stage." The spokesperson: "This possibility has not been discussed. In any case, this would require a change in the Laws of the Game, and therefore would have to be analysed and approved by the International Football Association Board in the first place." Edwards notes the laws of the game state that a match "will last for two periods of 45 minutes, unless otherwise mutually agreed by the referee and both teams, though any changes to the usual 45-minute halves have always been to reduce the playing time for age-group matches." Other possible solutions "have been mooted, including the possibility of playing the tournament in the winter." That "would cause huge problems, not least because it would come in the middle" of European leagues' seasons (London TELEGRAPH, 7/7).
