A member of the FIFA Executive Committee said on Monday that the "2022 World Cup will not take place in Qatar" because the heat in the country is too brutal for players and fans.
The 2022 World Cup will not be held in Qatar because of the scorching temperatures in the Middle East country, the FIFA Executive Committee member Theo Zwanziger predicted on Monday.
"I personally think that in the end the 2022 World Cup will not take place in Qatar," said Theo Zwanziger, a German member of the FIFA Executive Committee.
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"Medics say that they cannot accept responsibility with a World Cup taking place under these conditions," the former German football (DFB) chief, who is now a member of the world football’s governing body FIFA that awarded the tournament to Qatar in 2010.
Although Qatar has insisted that a summer World Cup is viable thanks to cooling technologies it is developing for stadiums, training areas and fan zones, there is still widespread concern over the health of the players and visiting supporters.
"They may be able to cool the stadiums but a World Cup does not take place only there," Zwanziger said.
"Fans from around the world will be coming and travelling in this heat and the first life-threatening case will trigger an investigation by a state prosecutor. That is not something that FIFA Exco members want to answer for."
The weather could be used as an excuse to take the World Cup away from Qatar, as the decision to hold the tournament is facing more problems than just the heat.
It is becoming increasingly clear that Qatari billionaire Mohamed bin Hammam paid millions in bribes to FIFA officials to secure the tournament for the country. He also visited with Russian President Vladimir Putin a month before both Russia, which will host the 2018 World Cup, and Qatar were awarded the tournaments. He also set up multiple meetings between FIFA officials and other members of the Qatari royal family.
Bin Hammam was banned from FIFA for life in 2012 for his involvement in a separate corruption scandal.
Qatar is also a major funder and supporter of the Muslim Brotherhood, the terrorist movement that backs groups ranging from Hamas to al Qaeda. The leader of Hamas even resides in Doha, the nations capital.
Qatar is also a nation that bans homosexuality and uses corporal punishment on violators of its anti-gay laws before likely deporting them.
Estimates are that the construction for the Qatar World Cup will leave 4,000 workers dead. The conditions for the workers, who have been forced to work in the brutal heat, have been compared to slavery.
The United States made a bid to host the 2022 World Cup, but it lost out to Qatar. It is one of countries considered to be a "viable" alternative if the rights to the tournament were to be taken away from Qatar.