World Cup 2022 war of words heats up

A WAR of words has broken out at the highest level of FIFA over criticism of Qatar’s 2022 World Cup bid due to extreme temperatures in the country in June and July.

Mohamed Bin Hammam, the Qatari head of the Asian Football Confederation and a FIFA executive committee member, has pointed the finger at potential heat problems in the United States, who are bid rivals.

His comments come after FIFA’s inspectors warned of a potential risk to players and officials from the heat in Qatar, which can top 50 degrees Celsius, and fellow FIFA member Chuck Blazer saying: “You can air-condition a stadium, but I don’t see how you can air-condition an entire country.”