By Andrew Warshaw
January 16 – Amidst the razzmatazz of this week’s world player of the year award, FIFA president Sepp Blatter provided small but significant new details of the time scale leading up to a decision on the timing of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
A week after his general secretary Jerome Valcke sparked a storm with his off-the-cuff declaration in a radio interview that the tournament would almost certainly be held some time between mid-November and mid-January whatever the outcome of the ongoing consultation process, Blatter pretty much said the same thing as he arrived for the gala in Zurich.
But with one or two vital clarifications.
Blatter confirmed that discussions with stakeholders would continue through 2014; that no decision on exact dates was likely until 2015 (there has been considerable speculation that a ruling may be made later this year); and that any switch to the winter months would definitely not include January.
Blatter has already made no secret of the fact that he personally favours a November-December tournament and in that respect Valcke’s comments were nothing earth-shattering.
“We are making all these consultations and they will be finished at the end of 2014,” Blatter said. “So in 2015 we can make a decision if yes or not we will play in summer or in winter.”
“The tendency is definitely that it’s too hot in summer, let’s find the solution to play in winter. But in the same year, not in January of the following year.”
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