Platini keen for winter World Cup

UEFA president Michel Platini has once again stressed his belief that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar must be held during the winter.

Platini echoed comments made by Britain’s FIFA vice-president Jim Boyce yesterday that the searing heat in the Asian country will make playing football unbearable.

“In the summer, at 50 degrees, you can not possibly play football in Qatar,” Platini said in an interview with Germany’s leading sports magazine Kicker.

This is not the first time the former France midfielder has stated his opposition to holding the Qatar tournament in the summer and he is supportive of a winter break for domestic championships.

Platini also responded to FIFA president Sepp Blatter’s comments that the decision to stage Euro 2020 across the continent would rip the “heart and soul” out of the tournament.

European football’s governing body announced in December that it had taken the unprecedented step of hosting the event in several cities throughout Europe.

And Platini defended the decision, saying: “The name European fits better than ever, as the Euros will be held for the first time in Europe.”