December 4, 2010: Beckenbauer Advocates Moving Qatar World Cup to Winter Date

Franz Beckenbauer, a member of FIFA’s executive committee that recently awarded the 2022 football World Cup to Qatar, says that the tournament should be played in winter, rather than in its traditional summer slot. Beckenbauer, who won the World Cup as a player and coach with West Germany, says this move would avoid the problem of summer temperatures of around 50 degrees Celsius in the emirate, although in its bid Qatar said that it would use climate control to keep the temperature on the pitch to 27 degrees. “One should think about a different solution,” Beckenbauer tells the Bild newspaper. “In January or February you have a comfortable 25 degrees there. Plans for the biggest leagues would have to change for 2022 but that would not be a major undertaking.… It would be an alternative to using climate control at great expense for stadiums and fanzones.” Beckenbauer also criticizes FIFA’s decision to award the 2018 and 2022 World Cups on the same day. “I would be happy to leave the 2022 decision to the next generation,” he says. [Reuters, 3/3/2010]