Scudamore: It is impossible to hold winter World Cup

The Premier League remain on collision course with the Football Association over the growing controversy surrounding Qatar’s staging of the 2022 World Cup by insisting a winter tournament is “nigh on impossible”.

Qatar beat bids from South Korea, Japan, the United States and Australia three years ago to stage the event but debate has raged ever since over the feasibility of FIFA’s decision amid rumours of corruption.

FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke admitted earlier this year that the tournament might be moved given summer temperatures in the Middle-East state can reach 50˚C.

Former FA chairman David Bernstein had stood alongside the Premier League in opposing a winter tournament but his successor, Greg Dyke, signalled a change in direction when claiming last week that a summer tournament was impossible.

But Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore (above), speaking at the launch of the new season in south-east London this morning, said: “FIFA have made a decision and it is for none of us to comment on it. They made the decision to hold the World Cup in the summer in Qatar. Our view is this: if that is deemed to be not possible for whatever reasons FIFA decide and it’s their decision not ours as to where they hold the World Cup, then they need to move the location if it can’t be held in the summer.

“We can’t just on a whim decide to move it to the winter. That’s a very different issue.

“It is extremely difficult, nigh on impossible in our view, but in any event the whole thing would have to be consulted through.