Qatari football officials have reiterated they can host the 2022 FIFA World Cup as normal and that the tournament does not need to be moved.
Concerns have been raised regarding the temperatures in the Middle East during the normal months of June and July when a World Cup is normally staged, but the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee insist there will be no problems.
The safety of players and fans had been called into question if the temperatures in Qatar soared over 40 degrees and moving the competition to a cooler time of the year has been mooted.
UEFA announced on Thursday that their 54 member associations backed the plan to move the event, but the Qatar organising committee do not believe it is necessary.
We bid for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in summer and are fully committed and working hard to deliver on these promises, a statement from the committee read.
If the international football community asks us to move the timetable for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, we are able to do so, but the development and implementation of environmentally-friendly cooling technologies remains an important legacy issue for our nation, region and many countries with similar climates.
Creating comfortable conditions for public areas, walkways, training pitches and stadiums both, during and after the World Cup means being able to play and watch football matches in summer throughout the country.
Cooling technology has existed at Jassim bin Hamad (Al Sadd) Stadium since 2008. This June, the stadium (in Doha) hosted a FIFA World Cup qualifier in cool and comfortable conditions.
We are now in the process of developing and perfecting sustainable cooling technologies to ensure that our Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup stadia, training grounds and fan zones offer the optimal temperature for players and fans to enjoy the games.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter intimated earlier this year that awarding the tournament to Qatar may have been a mistake, but the governing body remain committed to holding the tournament in the desert nation.
