A FIFA taskforce has recommended that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar should be organised in the winter months of November and December.
Qatari temperatures in June and July can exceed 40 degrees centigrade which has the potential to seriously affect the health and well-being of both players and fans.
Key FIFA officials met in Doha to discuss the options that they have in front of them and according to the BBC, they came to the conclusion that a summer World Cup in Qatar would endanger the health of the participants.
The taskforce chief Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa also recommended shortening the World Cup by a few days, but there are no proposals to reduce the size of the tournament from 32 teams or 64 matches.
Though it is still in the form of a recommendation, the proposals are expected to be ratified once the executive committee of football’s governing body meet next month.
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The idea of a winter World Cup has been receiving some strong flak from the top European leagues, who preferred an April-May tournament to minimise its affect on their own domestic season.
If the proposals are ratified, the top European Leagues would be forced to restructure their season to accommodate the tournament in November-December.
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