New Football Association Greg Dyke has insisted that the 2022 World Cup must become a winter tournament if hosted in Qatar.
Qatar were surprisingly awarded the tournament in December 2010, with FIFA president Sepp Blatter recently admitting that the issue will be put before an executive committee in December.
Dyke believes that temperatures reaching 50C will make a summer World Cup in Qatar impossible, making the FA's position clear that the 2022 tournament must either be moved or played during the winter months.
He told The Guardian: "I don't know how many people have been to Qatar in June. I have. The one thing I can tell you is you can't play a football tournament.
"Even if all the stadia are air-conditioned, which seems a bit strange in terms of the green policy, it would be impossible for the fans. Just go out there, wander around in that sort of heat. The FA's position will be you can't play it in summer in Qatar.
"Fifa therefore has two choices: you either move it in time or to another location. I suspect either ends up in some sort of litigation but then someone should have worked that out in 2010 when it was awarded."
Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore recently declared that a winter World Cup would create chaos, vowing to do "all the lobbying he can" to make sure that does not become a reality.
Liam Power
