By ,
Published November 20, 2014
Qatar organizers would schedule the 2022 World Cup for the winter, if there was demand to move soccer's biggest tournament from its usual summer schedule.
Awarded the World Cup in December 2010, Qatar promised air-conditioned outdoor stadiums to combat the brutal summer heat in the desert nation.
UEFA president Michel Platini told a British newspaper this week he thought it would be better to move the tournament to the winter to avoid the summer heat.
"It is for the good of the World Cup, the most important competition in the world," Platini told the London Evening Standard.
Qatar organizers still plan to host the event in the summer, but acknowledged they would be willing to make an adjustment for a winter schedule.
"Our position hasn't changed," a Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee spokesman told CNN.
"We've always reiterated that we entered the bidding race with the intention of hosting in the summer and are continuing with our plans to deliver a World Cup in the summer unless there is a unified consensus among the international football community for alternative plans."
The World Cup is normally held in June and July, as it will be in Brazil in 2014 and Russia in 2018. A switch to the winter would move the tournament to November and December, and conflict with club seasons throughout the world.
Some major leagues already schedule winter breaks, such as the Bundesliga in Germany, but the English Premier League plays through the winter and would be forced to make major adjustments.
https://www.foxnews.com/sports/qatar-willing-to-play-2022-world-cup-in-winter