Will 2022 FIFA World Cup Move Away from Qatar?

Could Qatar lose the 2022 FIFA World Cup? According to Hotelier Middle East, FIFA Executive Committee member Theo Zwanziger has said he believes the event will not take place in Qatar, the planned host country, because of the risks posed by the hot weather.

Qatar won the bid for the football tournament four years ago, but the upcoming event has been "mired in controversy" (as the story says) ever since, with concerns over the treatment of workers in the country and allegations of corruption in the bidding process, as well as the hot weather.

USA Today notes that temperatures in Doha can reach an average high of 106 degrees in summer, when the games would take place. Qatari officials have promised to spend $4 billion on air conditioned stadiums to protect players and fans, but not everyone is convinced.

FIFA officials contacted by Reuters said that Zwanziger was not giving the view of the all powerful Executive Committee.

"He is expressing a personal opinion and he explicitly says so," FIFA spokeswoman Delia Fischer said. "We will not comment on a personal opinion."