No summer date for 2022 World Cup

FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke has confirmed that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will not be held in June or July - with the event likely to held at the end of that year.

By The Newsroom

Published 8th Jan 2014, 12:39 BST

The scheduling of the tournament, due to the intense heat in the Gulf in the summer months, had been a major issue since the World Cup was controversially awarded to Qatar in December 2010.

Now, in an interview with radio station France Info, Valcke has stated the event will be put back, chiefly due to concerns for the well-being of players and fans with Fifa having bowed to pressure.

He said: “The dates for the World Cup (in Qatar) will not be June-July.

“To be honest, I think it will be held between 15 November and 15 January at the latest.

“If you play between 15 November and the end of December that’s the time when the weather conditions are best, when you can play in temperatures equivalent to a warm spring season in Europe, averaging 25 degrees.

“That would be perfect for playing football.”

See more in tomorrow’s Yorkshire Post.