Football | FIFA opens talks on 2022 World Cup dates in Qatar

FIFA will step up the search for new dates to play the 2022 World Cup in Qatar at talks with football officials next Monday. Consultation was promised last year after FIFA President Sepp Blatter insisted the tournament cannot be played in the summer desert heat. FIFA said yesterday the six continental confederations plus clubs, leagues and players’ unions from around the world will be represented at its Zurich headquarters on Sept. 8. The meeting will be led by Asian Football Confederation President Sheik Salman bin Ebrahim al Khalifa of Bahrain. A second session is scheduled for November, FIFA said. Blatter has suggested his executive committee should make a decision next March. Blatter and FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke have repeatedly said in interviews that only a November 2022 kickoff will work.