The 2022 World Cup could be moved from Qatar due to the summer heat in the Middle East, according to one FIFA executive committee member.
FIFA official believes Qatar won’t host 2022 World Cup
One FIFA Executive Committee member says the heat of the Middle East will result in the relocation of the 2022 World Cup.
Martin Rose
Theo Zwanziger, the former president of the German Football Association, told Sport Bild that he doesn’t believe Qatar will actually host the event, as medics will not be willing to accept responsibility for the safety of players and fans. The country has previously insisted that the heat will be manageable due to multiple cooling technologies and strategies that will be in place.
”They may be able to cool the stadiums but a World Cup does not take place only there. Fans from around the world will be coming and traveling in this heat and the first life-threatening case will trigger an investigation by a state prosecutor.
“That is not something that FIFA Exco members want to answer for.”
One thought process is that if FIFA does strip Qatar of its World Cup bid, the United States will be asked to step in and host on a shortened time frame.
Qatar Chronicles
Still, it's important to remember the opinion of Zwanziger is far from the official word of FIFA. Zwanziger has been described by Raphael Honigstein of The Guardian as a "lone voice in the wilderness."
Reuters contacted FIFA for a reaction to the comments of Zwanziger:
“He is expressing a personal opinion and he explicitly says so,” FIFA spokewoman Delia Fischer said. “We will not comment on a personal opinion.”
This isn’t the first criticism from a FIFA official of Qatar hosting the event, as the organization’s president, Sepp Blatter, said in May that the decision to award the Middle Eastern country the 2022 World Cup was “a mistake of course.“ Qatar was awarded the World Cup in Dec. 2010 when it was voted for by 14 of the 22 members of the FIFA Executive Committee.
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