Former FIFA Official Mayne-Nicholls: It Would Be Unfair To Take World Cup From Qatar

FIFA-appointed expert Harold Mayne-Nicholls, who first cautioned about the dangers of taking the 2022 World Cup to Qatar said that "stripping Qatar of hosting rights for the 2022 World Cup just because of the heat issue and the fuss generated over a possible switch to winter is not an option," according to Andrew Warshaw of INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL. Mayne-Nicholls said that "it would not be fair to hand the tournament to someone else." Mayne-Nicholls said, "I can't see that happening. You can't take it away unless you discover something unethical. There have been rumors for years, but nobody has discovered anything." Mayne-Nicholls did not rule out a legal challenge by the losing 2022 bidding countries "but believes it unlikely." Mayne-Nicholls: "If we change the date from June and July, we are changing the bids but I'm not sure whether Japan, Korea, Australia and the USA would go as far as to take legal action" (INSIDE WORLD FOOTBALL, 8/6).