Qatar world cup is likely to be played

The Qatar World Cup is likely to be played in either
January-February 2022 or November-December 2022,
says FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter has admitted the
competition cannot be played in the summer due to
average temperatures in Qatar rising to nearly 50
degrees Celsius (122 degrees Farenheit) during the
World Cup's traditional June-July slot, with calls for the
tournament to be moved to May as European clubs are
against a winter competition.
However, following a task force meeting in Zurich on
Nov. 3 set up by the FIFA Executive Committee to
assess options for the international match calendar
between 2018 and 2024, Valcke says a winter World Cup
is increasingly likely.
"We are getting closer to narrowing the dates for the
FIFA World Cup to two options -- January-February
2022 or November-December 2022 -- but FIFA has also
been asked to consider May 2022," he said via a press
release. "We will summarise what we've heard today
and provide feedback to all parties in order for them to
prepare for the next meeting as we progress towards a
final decision."
FIFA's Chief Medical Officer professor Jiri Dvorok
provided a report on the medical concerns related to
player safety and fan safety for a summer tournament,
while the press release states that Local Organising
Committee CEO Hassan Al Thawadi says "for the Middle
East, the ideal situation and circumstances for an all-
inclusive World Cup would be for it to be held in the
winter."
Presentations suggesting April-May 2022 and May-June
2022 as alternative periods for the World Cup were given
by the European Club Association and the Association of
European Professional Football Leagues respectively.
Further consultations are expected, with the task force
due to hold its next meeting in early 2015.
A British MP has urged the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) to
reconsider its decision not to investigate allegations of
FIFA corruption during the bidding process for the 2018
and 2022 World Cups.
Conservative MP Damian Collins called for an
investigation after media reports in the U.S. that Chuck
Blazer -- a former FIFA executive between 1996 and
2013 -- recorded conversations with football officials at
the London 2012 Olympics after being recruited by the
FBI.
World football's governing body has been heavily
criticised after Blatter announced that FIFA ethics
investigator Michael's Garcia report into alleged voting
corruption for both the Qatar 2018 and Russia 222 World
Cup bids will not be made public.
The report was handed over to FIFA ethics judge Hans-
Joachim Eckert, who is due to examine the findings.