German FIFA executive believes Qatar will lose 2022 World Cup
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Berlin (dpa) - Qatar will ultimately lose the right to host the 2022 World Cup over climate concerns, German FIFA executive Theo Zwanziger believes.
Zwanziger told Sport Bild Plus on Monday that football's ruling body can not afford any heat-related issues in the originally proposed summer slot while major European leagues are voicing opposition to a move into winter which is currently being discussed.
"My personal belief is that the World Cup 2022 will ultimately not take place in Qatar," Zwanziger said.
"Doctors say that they can not take responsibility for a World Cup to take place under these conditions in summer, and I have had this written down in the minutes.
"It may be possible in the stadiums because of special cooling techniques, but the World Cup doesn't take place in the stadiums alone. There will be fans from around the world, and they will be moving around in the heat. The first life-threatening incident would lead to investigations by prosecutors. No one in the FIFA-exco would take responsibility for this."
