Players union backs January World Cup

The world footballers’ union has backed calls to play the 2022 World Cup in January to avoid the oppressive Qatari summer.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter has flagged the possibility of holding the 2022 tournament in the northern winter instead of the traditional summer to avoid temperatures that can reach up to 50 degrees Celsius in Qatar.

Players’ union FIFPro have thrown their support behind the idea, and say it could have a further advantage in that players may be fitter in January instead of July.

“We will have to take a careful look at the international match calendar, but FIFPro does not foresee any insurmountable problems in this regard,” secretary Tijs Tummers said in a statement on Tuesday.

“Space will have to be made for the tournament, even though many countries already have a winter break.”

“In Europe, competitive matches will have to be played in August and the second half of May and the first half of June.”

“If you look at what happened last weekend with weather problems in Europe because of heavy snowfall, you could see this as an advantage rather than as a problem.”

“And it might perhaps turn out that the players will be fitter at the start of a winter World Cup than was the case last summer at the World Cup in South Africa.”

However, Tummers questioned FIFA’s decision to award the tournament to Qatar based on the premise of a summer scheduling.

“It is not sensible to award a World Cup in the summer to a country with an average temperature of 41 degrees in June and July, a midday temperature of 50 degrees and above all, extremely high humidity,” he said.

“Tourists are advised not to travel to Qatar in the summer months. Inhabitants of Qatar leave the country en masse during this period.”

“The summer months in Qatar also do not provide suitable conditions for a festival of football such as the World Cup should be, including for the supporters.”

“The organisers have guaranteed that the temperature inside the stadiums and at the training centres will be reduced to 27 degrees by means of air-conditioning.”

“That is all well and good, but it obviously does not fit in with ecological thinking, which we expect to be even more widespread by 2022.”