FIFA president Sepp Blatter addressing a press conference at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich yesterday.

QNA/Zurich

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has praised the positive outcomes of his recent meeting with HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.
“It is clear that Qatar takes its responsibility as host seriously and sees the FIFA World Cup as a catalyst for positive social change,” Blatter said yesterday.
Addressing a press conference held at the end of FIFA Executive Committee’s meeting, he said: “During my visit to Qatar last Saturday and Sunday, I discussed important issues and I was updated on the envisaged move of the 2022 FIFA World Cup staging period to November/December, which was formally announced on Thursday.”
Blatter said that during his visit to Doha he discussed  the issue of workers, involved in the preparation for the World Cup.
He said it was encouraging to hear the Emir’s personal commitment to workers’ welfare and to get a sense of the improvements planned for all workers in Qatar.
The FIFA president was confident that things were going in the right direction in all respects with regards to Qatar’s preparations for the World Cup in 2022, pointing out that Qatar’s door remained open and it welcomed visits and follow-up of its preparations for the event.
He said  that FIFA could send at any time individuals or committees to look at the work on the ground in Qatar.
On Thursday, FIFA announced after its executive committee made the decision that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar would be played in November and December with the final taking place on December 18, which is Qatar’s National Day.   
The  Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy (SC) yesterday expressed its satisfaction with the FIFA decision to hold the World Cup in winter.
“We welcome the decision of FIFA’s Executive Committee in relation to the timing of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. We are satisfied the process has reached its conclusion,” the committee said in a statement.
“Regardless of the change in dates, we will continue to develop the cooling technology promised during the bid, ensuring our commitment to deliver a true legacy as a result of the first World Cup in the Middle East remains,” the statement added.
SC secretary general Hassan al-Thawadi has also welcomed FIFA’s decision.
In a statement, al-Thawadi said FIFA had put an end to the ongoing debate on the timing of the Qatar World Cup, adding that the organising committee had always vowed to comply with FIFA decisions.
He added that work was going on as scheduled, including on the cooling technology inside and outside venues, noting that it would be a legacy for the future.
On squeezing the tournament’s schedule, the official said FIFA had decided to hold it over four weeks, which is a few days shorter than previous editions.
Al-Thawadi said that construction work was underway for the host venues and they would be unveiled on time. The Al Rayyan Stadium would be announced in April. The  other stadiums would also be unveiled in 2015, he added.

‘Clear benefits’ for a winter World Cup
A top FIFA executive member has said that everyone must now get on with making the Qatar World Cup work as the dates have been agreed.
Jim Boyce, Britain’s FIFA vice president, said the 2022 World Cup would be a one-off winter tournament. “It’s one year out of the calendar and I think if everyone works together for one year we can work it out to make sure everyone is satisfied,” Boyce told reporters on the sidelines of a FIFA executive committee meeting in Zurich yesterday.
Boyce said there were clear benefits for a winter World Cup.  “All the spectators who are going to Qatar will have a wonderful time from a climate point of view. And the players could be fresher than they have ever been for a World Cup - so let’s get on with it,” declared the FIFA vice president.