ZURICH: FIFA showed little enthusiasm toward a proposal to stage the 2022 World Cup in April and May, saying on Monday that January/February or November/December remained the most likely options for the tournament in Qatar.

Soccer’s governing body said there were medical concerns at holding the competition during any period between May and September while Ramadan would affect preparations if the tournament were to be held in May.

“We are getting closer to narrowing the dates.....to two options — January/February 2022 or November/December 2022 — but FIFA has also been asked to consider May 2022,” said FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke following a meeting of the task force set up to determine when the tournament should be held.

The world players’ union FIFPro also opposed a summer World Cup, saying that “we must avoid the hottest months at all costs, irrespective of what was suggested during the bidding procedure.”

Qatar were ranked bottom of the nations bidding to stage the World Cup by FIFA’s own technical study group before the vote was taken in December 2010.

However, Qatar saw off rival bids from the United States, Australia, Japan and South Korea to become the first Arab state to stage the tournament.

The award of the World Cup to the tiny Middle-East emirate has been the subject of an investigation by New York attorney Michael Garcia over the last 18 months, set up to establish whether any corruption was involved in the decision taken by the FIFA executive committee.

Garcia’s findings are now being studied by German judge Hans-Joachim Eckert, the head of FIFA’s independent adjudicatory chamber, who is expected to issue his initial report later this month.

The European Clubs’ Association, seeking as little disruption to the traditional European calendar as possible, suggested last week that April/May would cause less disruption to the club season and that temperatures during that period would not be hotter than at some previous World Cups provided matches were played in the evening.

The task force, which includes representatives from clubs, leagues, players and local organizers was meeting for the second time.

Qatar was awarded the competition on the basis that it would be staged in June/July using naturally cooled stadiums to alleviate the effects of the desert heat.

Despite this, there is widespread agreement that the tournament should be held in cooler months.

FIFA said that its chief medical officer Jiri Dvorak provided a report on the medical concerns related to player safety and fan safety if the World Cup were to be held between May and September.

Valcke also highlighted that “the month-long period of Ramadan would begin on 2 April in 2022, which would have an impact on a number of players in their preparations for any April/May option and with regard to the preparation of the event itself.”

FIFPro, whose general secretary Theo van Seggelen took part in the meeting, said it would not accept any decision which risked the players’ health.

“The health and safety of the players is non-negotiable. While we understand the concerns of those whose competitions will be affected, FIFPro will not be swayed to endorse a World Cup that puts the health of the players at risk,” it said in a statement.

UAE’s Emirates airline to end FIFA sponsorship

Meantime, Airline Emirates said on Monday it was ending its sponsorship of FIFA, a blow to soccer’s governing body as it investigates whether there was corruption in the bidding process for the next two World Cups.

“Emirates can confirm that a decision has been made not to renew the sponsorship agreement with FIFA past 2014,” the Dubai-based airline said in a statement on Monday.

“This decision was made following an evaluation of FIFA’s contract proposal which did not meet Emirates’ expectations.”

FIFA had no immediate comment.

Emirates, which has extensive sponsorship deals in sports, did not say how much the contract was worth or where it would redeploy the spending.

Emirates was one of six main FIFA sponsors who collectively paid around $180 million last year.

Sponsors have put pressure on FIFA to respond robustly to allegations of bribery to secure the 2022 World Cup for Qatar, an issue that overshadowed the buildup to this year’s tournament in Brazil.

FIFA is carrying out an investigation into the bidding process, which resulted in the 2018 tournament being awarded to Russia and the 2022 competition to Qatar. Both countries deny wrongdoing.

German news magazine Der Spiegel said on Sunday FIFA’s poor image was one of the main reasons behind Emirates’ decision to end the partnership.