DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Dec 28, (AP): The head of the Asian Football Confederation supports moving the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to the winter months to avoid the desert heat, but European clubs AC Milan and Barcelona oppose the move as it disrupt their league seasons.
Mohamed bin Hammam, a Qatari national who heads the AFC and is also a FIFA executive committee member, said a winter tournament would ensure players are “in better shape” and wouldn’t be “exhausted” after completing a grueling season that can run up to 60 games.
Qatar was awarded the 2022 World Cup this month despite concerns over temperatures which routinely exceed 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit). Soon after it beat out the United States, Australia, Japan and South Korea for the bidding rights, a growing list of footballers began calling for moving the tournament to January when it is much cooler in Qatar.

FIFA executive committee member Franz Beckenbauer was the first to suggest the idea, and he was followed by UEFA president Michel Platini. FIFA president Sepp Blatter said it is worthy studying while FIFPro, which represents professional footballers worldwide, said the event “must be held in winter.”
But the big football clubs remain unconvinced, as they are reluctant to change the international calendar and likely would be concerned over a loss of revenue from breaking up the season.
“It would be very difficult today to see the top five European leagues change their calendar in order to accommodate the World Cup in January,” AC Milan director Umberto Gandini said on the sidelines of the two-day Globe Soccer conference in Dubai.
“We have traditions. We have business in place. We have contracts in place,” he said. “It would be complicated. I’m not saying it’s not possible but it would require a lot of negotiations, a lot of discussions and it would probably affect not only 2022 but 2021 as well.”
Gandini and Barcelona President Sandro Rosell also downplayed concerns about the heat, noting that several previous World Cup tournaments were played in similar conditions to those of Qatar in the summer.

“I remember Spain in 1982 and the United States (in 1994). It was 40 degrees and no one complained,” Rosell said. “Due to the Spanish League, I have to defend playing in June and July. I don’t like to break up the Spanish league because we continue to play in January.”
Bin Hammam agreed that Qatar would have no problem organizing the 2022 World Cup in July. But moving the tournament to the cooler winter months would be better for the players, he said.
“If the competition were held in June and July, it will perfectly organized by the host,” Bin Hammam said. “If the competition would be moved to January, it will be a sort of win-win situation for all the parties.”
Earlier this month, Blatter and general secretary Jerome Valcke said moving the Qatar matches to winter was worth considering. It could protect players from heat and show flexibility for future bid cities.
Valcke said that switching the schedule would make it possible for a wider range of countries to bid for the World Cup — which traditionally takes places in June and July — in the future.
Still, he said it is “not so easy” to stage a winter World Cup since it would require changing the international calendar — including possibly the year before and after the 2022 tournament — and getting the support of domestic leagues and national federations.
Valcke said Qatar has not formally requested changing the timing of the tournament, and bid officials have not said anything publicly about whether they would support such a move. Until now, Qatar has only promised FIFA that stadiums, training venues and areas for fans to party will be cooled with solar-powered air conditioning.