Rummenigge calls for April World Cup in 2022

A handout photo released by the Vatican press office on October 22, 2014 shows Pope Francis receiving a gift by Bayern Munich's executive board chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge (left) during a private meeting at the Vatican. PHOTO | OSSERVATORE ROMANO |   AFP

In Summary

• A task force set up by world governing body FIFA will meet in Zurich next week to investigate the feasibility of moving the tournament from its traditional mid-year slot, amid fears about soaring summer temperatures in Qatar.

By AFP
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LONDON

Leading European clubs want FIFA to hold the Qatar World Cup in April 2022, Bayern Munich chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said in a British newspaper interview published on Wednesday.

A task force set up by world governing body FIFA will meet in Zurich next week to investigate the feasibility of moving the tournament from its traditional mid-year slot, amid fears about soaring summer temperatures in Qatar.

FIFA and its European counterpart UEFA want the tournament to be staged during the Northern Hemisphere winter, but Rummenigge, who chairs the European Club Association (ECA), thinks it should take place in the spring.

"At the moment, there are two proposals on the table: the FIFA proposal in November and the UEFA proposal in January," Rummenigge told The Times. "Our proposal is a bit different. We will publish that in the next few days.

"We have made some research ... and the outcome of this research is that the best option would be to start the World Cup at the end of April, finishing in May.

"It's still hot, but it would be something like 35 degrees (Celsius) maximum. If you then play in the evening, let's say 7:00 pm and 9:30 pm, then 9:30 pm (in Qatar) is 7:30 pm in central Europe, 6:30 pm in the UK.

"From all points of view, that's no problem. We will bring this option to the table to discuss at the FIFA task force on November 3."