FIFA has confirmed that the final of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will
be played on December 18, the country's national day.
FIFA spokesman Walter De Gregorio said on Thursday the announcement
was a "major step" and said the executive committee of football's
world governing body could confirm the start date on Friday.
It took the custodians of world football 1568 days to finally decide
on a date for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The gas-rich Gulf state had always maintained it was ready to deliver
a World Cup in the traditional June-July months, in the European
summer when most of the leagues on the continent take their break.
But Qatar's temperatures can exceed 50C during that time of year - so
holding one of the biggest sports events on the planet attracting was
quite simply not going to be practical, even with air conditioned
stadiums.
FIFA had to be seen to be consulting far and wide. They took their
time. It's worth noting that the awarding of this particular World Cup
12 years ahead of the event is unprecedented. So Sepp Blatter and co
didn't need to rush this decision.
And here we are over 1,500 days later knowing what we knew the day
the Middle East won the rights to host their first ever World Cup.
It's going to be a European winter World Cup.
"It is a major step because finally we know and we can move forward,"
De Gregorio said in a statement at FIFA headquarters.
"In principle we will try to play in 28 days. The next stage will be
to have talks ... in particular related to the international match
calendar."
FIFA's executive committee prefers a 28-day tournament, four days
fewer than usual and starting on November 21, but did not make a
decision in the opening session of its two-day meeting.
The November through to December option had been expected after being
recommended by a FIFA-appointed task force which met last month in
Doha, the Qatari capital.
The task force sought to take FIFA's lucrative event out of the Qatari
summer heat in the June to July period when World Cups are
traditionally played.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter then said he preferred a Sunday, December
18, final. Every World Cup final since 1966 has been played on a
Sunday.
By rejecting UEFA's preferred December 23 final, a Friday, the FIFA
executive committee helped protect the English Premier League's
traditional December 26 program.
A 28-day World Cup would cut the time clubs must release players to
national teams.
Both FIFA and Qatar have fought off questions of corruption ever
since they were awarded the tournament back in 2010, with Qatar
accusing its critics of a clear bias against the Gulf monarchy.
--Agencies
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