FIFA President Sepp Blatter announces Qatar as the host nation for the FIFA World Cup 2022, in Zurich in this December 2, 2010 file photo. Reuters
Reuters/Belfast
The World Cup final in Qatar in 2022 should be played no later than December 18, FIFA president Sepp Blatter said on Friday.
Blatter said when he arrived in Northern Ireland for this weekend's International Football Association Board meeting that he would propose that idea to the FIFA executive committee when it meets next month.
"The World Cup will not go on until the 23rd, definitely not, we have to stop at the 18th," Blatter told reporters. "I am against going to the 23rd."
FIFA's Task Force looking into the time of year the World Cup can be held in Qatar proposed on Tuesday holding the 2022 tournament in November and December due to the extreme heat in June and July when soccer's showpiece event usually takes place.
