Michel Platini, the president of European soccer's governing body, say he would be happy to reschedule his continent's club schedule to allow the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to be played in the winter.
Speaking a year to the day since Qatar was awarded soccer's biggest tournament, Platini he voted for Qatar and that matches in sweltering summer temperatures in the tiny Middle Eastern emirate would be unfair on players and spectators.
''We have to think about everybody, what would be better for the World Cup in Qatar,'' the FIFA executive committee member said in an interview with Al-Jazeera on Friday. ''How you can bring the people and say you will go in June (to) Qatar when it's 50 degrees?
''The people, they come (for) three weeks or two weeks with 60 degrees, they (would) never go outside the hotel. It (is) not correct.''
Not only would playing the World Cup in the winter involve moving the dates of the Champions League and Europa League - UEFA's club competitions - it would also forced European leagues to change their schedules.
However, Platini said the World Cup ''is the best moment in football.''
''I think we have to adapt (to) when is the best moment and where is the best moment to play this World Cup in Qatar,'' the former French forward said.
Qatar beat the United States, Australia, Japan and South Korea for the right to stage the 2022 tournament and will become the smallest country to host the World Cup.
''For me, I voted for Qatar because I think it (is) nice to go to another part of the world, with people who never received the World Cup,'' said Platini, who could succeed Sepp Blatter as FIFA president in 2015. ''They lost five times with Morocco, with Egypt. And I think it was nice to come to Russia in Europe (in 2018). They've never received (the World Cup) in the east of Europe.''
