FA Chairman Greg Dyke Says Summer World Cup Football in Qatar 'Impossible'

Football Association chairman Greg Dyke has called for the 2022 World Cup to be delayed or moved, because it will be too hot in Qatar during the summer.

Dyke says playing the tournament in June and July would be "impossible" for the fans, in the Gulf state where temperatures can reach over 40C.

However, his suggestions that the World Cup be moved to the winter or even held in another country have not been welcomed by Fifa, the world football's governing body.

The Premier League is against holding the competition during the winter as it would interrupt the domestic season. Richard Scudamore, chief executive of the Premier League, warned that moving the games to winter would cause "chaos" across international fixtures and disrupt broadcasting negotiations.

Speaking at a press briefing, Dyke said: "I don't know how many people here have ever been to Qatar in June.

"I have, and the one thing I can tell you is that you couldn't play a football tournament in Qatar in June.

"Even if all the stadia are air-conditioned, which seems in terms of green policy a bit strange, I just don't think it's possible. For the fans, it would be impossible.

"I think it will either have to be moved out of the summer or it will have to be moved to another location. And I suspect the former is more likely than the latter."

"So, I think my position, and I suspect the FA's position, will be you can't play it in the summer in Qatar.

"FIFA therefore has got two choices. You either move it time-wise or you move it to another location. I suspect either ends up in some sort of litigation."

Qatar has expressed willingness to change the timing of the tournament. The Qatar World Cup Committee said: "We are ready to host in summer or winter. We have always maintained that this issue requires the agreement of the international football community.

"A decision to alter the dates of the 2022 FIFA World Cup would not affect our infrastructure planning."