Secretary General of FIFA, Jerome Valcke has, for the umpteenth time, clarified the position of the world football governing body in regard to the Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022 World Cups when he told France RMC Sport that “the awarding of the World Cups 2018 and 2022 is a closed process.”
Valcke began by calling the three features published Friday in France Football “sensational” and having “no truth” and told reporters when they asked about the timing of the 2022 competition that after meetings with task forces there will “obviously be no formula that can satisfy everyone.
“The Executive Committee of FIFA has decided that playing summer was unsustainable and had to find an alternative to play in winter,” he added.
Aspire Dome is seen in Doha in this aerial view. Qatar will host the 2022 World Cup.
“There are two alternatives. January-February 2022 and November to December 2022. It will be what happens in 2022. European clubs came with a proposal to play in April…but Ramadan begins this period. It is impossible to think of playing a World Cup at this time or even right after. There is a meeting on February 23 to go further, including the impact on periods of qualifying rounds. The idea is to make a decision in March 2015 by the Executive Committee.”