Saturday morning reports suggest that Fifa are considering switching the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to January.
Qatar won the right to stage the event after Thursday’s Zurich vote – with Russia hosting the 2018 tournament – but immediately concerns were raised about summer temperatures in the Middle East state.
The Qatari heat in June and July could be as high as 50 degrees plus, with proposals to move the event back to winter already reportedly in the pipeline.
Such a move is likely to be frowned upon by Europe’s major clubs, who are also sceptical of the proposed 12 air-conditioned stadia set to be constructed in Qatar. Additionally, concerns are rife about the problems that would be encountered with training facilities in the sweltering conditions. With 32 teams involved it would be impossible to just use the stadia for that purpose as well.
In Janaury temperatures are set to be at 22 degrees Celsius, dropping to 12 or 13 degrees at night, and this would be better for player welfare according to Fifa, with the Daily Mirror quoting a source from the organisation as saying: "We have always held our tournaments in the summer months before but we must think about what is best for the players."
Fifa’s pre-bid technical report into Qatar’s offering had cited the potential dangers of players trying to perform in the searing heat, but clubs are likely to be equally unhappy with the mass disruption a winter World Cup would have on domestic seasons.