Theo Zwanziger, a FIFA official, declared recently that he doesn’t feel Qatar is going to end up hosting the 2022 World Cup.
Almost 4 years ago it was announced that the 2022 FIFA World Cup will be held in Qatar.
Theo Zwanziger, a FIFA official, declared recently that he doesn’t feel Qatar is actually going to end up hosting the event.
His reason for predicting a venue change is the area’s extreme heat.
Zwanziger noted, "The doctors say -- and I have demanded to have this registered in the records -- that they can't be held responsible for a summer World Cup held in those conditions."
The local organizers of the tournament stress that they plan to adequately air condition match spaces, training areas, and places where fans gather.
For some, that assurance isn’t enough as it doesn’t take into account the time participants and observers will have to spend in the desert heat moving from place to place.
Qatar’s hopes to keep the 2022 tournament are far from dashed, though.
It’s been pointed out that Zwanziger was only stating his own opinion, and not the feelings of FIFA at large.
Further, there’s still a chance the games will be moved from European summer to winter dates, making the heat in Qatar less of a concern, although many soccer clubs are opposed to this.
