Sepp Blatter admits Qatar World Cup a “Mistake”

Sepp Blatter said that they may have made a “mistake” in awarding the 2022 World Cup to Qatar due to extreme summer temperature.

08:39 11 September 2013

During an interview with InsideWorldFootball.com, Fifa President Sepp Blatter admitted that the world governing body’s decision to award the 2022 summer World Cup to Qatar may have been a mistake. This is because summer temperatures can reach 50C in the Middle Eastern country. Greg Dyke, the Football Association Chairman, said that it would be “impossible” to play in such conditions. For this reason, he suggested that the tournament be moved to winter.

Commenting about the decision, Mr Blatter said: "It may well be that we made a mistake at the time."

Blatter hopes Fifa’s executive will grant his proposal when it meets next month. Should his proposal be granted, Mr Blatter added: "The next steps will include a close look at the international calendar and to establish what consequences the change would have.

"And we would naturally need to speak to and consult with all interested parties and stakeholders."