The 2022 Winter Olympics may have to move from its traditional January and February dates to accommodate the World Cup finals being staged in Qatar, leading European football clubs’ official Umberto Gandini said.

Gandini, vice-chairman of the European Club Association of Europe’s top 200-plus clubs and director of sport at Milan, told delegates at the Leaders In Sport summit at Stamford Bridge that the World Cup should take precedence.

“Not to be controversial, but the World Cup is one of the major events in the sports landscape with the Summer Olympics,” he said.

But the Winter Olympics, with all due respect, are not up there,” said Gandini.

“When you have such a huge event like the World Cup, and you have to move it from its summer window, don’t tell me it’s not possible to find a solution and move the Winter Olympics a bit so they don’t clash – especially now where the Winter Olympics are still under the bidding process and there are only two candidates (Beijing and Almaty). With wisdom and debate it is possible to achieve a solution which will satisfy the majority.”

FIFA agreed in principle earlier this year that matches could not be played in the searing heat of the Gulf summer in 2022.

The IOC, which has already signed a number of multi-million dollar sponsorship and broadcasting contracts that include the 2022 Winter Olympics, said FIFA chief Sepp Blatter had assured them there would be no clash.

“It is in the interest of both organisations (FIFA and IOC) that there is no clash between our calendars, and we have received assurances from Blatter that this will not be the case,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams said.

Gandini, on a panel at the Leaders summit with ECA chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, said 76 per cent of players at the last two World Cups were contracted to ECA clubs and whatever decision is eventually taken about the 2022 World Cup would “need the goodwill of the ECA”.