Blatter says personally supports winter World Cup in Qatar

Sepp Blatter said he personally supported the idea of the 2022 WC in Qatar being held in winter.

London: FIFA President Sepp Blatter said on Friday he personally supported the idea of the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar being held in winter.

"I definitely support to play in winter here (in the Middle East)," Blatter told a news conference at the Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi. "To play when the climate is appropriate and I`m thinking about the footballers, not only the fans but the actors," he said referring to the intense heat of summer in Qatar. Since Qatar was awarded the staging of the 2022 finals earlier this month, there have been suggestions from leading figures like Franz Beckenbauer that the FIFA calendar should be altered for that year.Bureau Report