FIFA president Sepp Blatter has indicated the 2022 World Cup in Qatar will take place in the summer.
With temperatures in June and July stifling in the Gulf, Blatter said last month: “I expect it will be held in winter.” However, he has now told the BBC “the matter is on ice”.
“I am not in favour of one or the other,” Blatter said.
“What I did say, winter is not only January or February. I think for the time being the matter is on ice.”
Blatter revealed Qatar indicated the finals would be held in summer.
He added: “Everything is settled now for summer and all the 64 matches will be played in the territory of Qatar.”
Bobby Charlton gets Olympic role
Bobby Charlton is to be asked to help bring together a Great Britain team for the London Olympics.
To date all attempts to forge a unified team have met with stiff opposition from the Welsh, Scottish and N. Irish associations leaving open the prospect of only English players being involved. But London 2012 chairman Sebastian Coe believes that Charlton has the clout and prestige to bring the nations together to field an inclusive British team.
Charlton said: “Seb Coe is a good personal friend, and he has said he is expecting I’ll try to help them, so that’s where we are.
“Trying to get a Great Britain team together is going to be very interesting.”
WBA start search for new coach
West Brom will take time before naming a successor as coach to Roberto di Matteo, who was sacked on Sunday although several names are already being mentioned.
Di Matteo’s 18-month reign at the the Midlands side came after 13 defeats in their last 18 games. Immediately names such as Roy Hodgson, Sam Allardyce, Chris Hughton and Martin Jol were linked with a move to the Hawthorns.
But sources insist no replacement had been lined up before the decision was taken to axe the 40-year-old Italian. They have enough confidence in first-team coach Michael Appleton – now in temporary charge – to do a competent job while the search goes on.
Adamu to appeal FIFA ban
Amos Adamu is to take his case to the CAS after FIFA’s appeals committee upheld a three-year ban following investigation by UK newspapers into World Cup bidding.
Nigeria’s Adamu was a vice-president of FIFA when he was handed the original sanction by the organisation’s ethics committee in November last year. And the appeals committee confirmed at the weekend the punishment would stand, to Adamu’s frustration.
He said: “I am extremely disappointed by the findings of the FIFA appeals committee as announced.
“It had been my hope that the appeals committee would completely exonerate me. My next step will be to appeal this decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.”
France’s great Kopa gets UEFA award
Raymond Kopa, the French football star of the 1950s and 1960s, received the UEFA President’s Award from Michel Platini at a ceremony last weekend.
Kopa – whose brilliance thrilled crowds and brought success to Stade de Reims and Real Madrid during a superb career in the 1950s and 1960s – was presented with the award ahead of the Ligue 2 match between Stade de Reims and Le Havre AC.
The now 79-year-old helped Real Madrid to three successive European Cup titles in 1957, 1958 and 1959, and was the catalyst for Reims’s appearance in the competition’s first-ever final in 1956.
He also won 45 caps for France, scoring 18 goals.
Kopa follows three other legends of the game who have collected the UEFA Award –Alfredo di Stefano (2007), Bobby Charlton (2008) and Portugal’s Eusebio (2009).
Quagliarella won’t go for cheap
If Juventus want to sign Fabio Quagliarella for good they will have to pay the full price and nothing less, Napoli owner Aurelio de Laurentiis warned yesterday.
The 27-year-old was the Turin team’s top scorer before suffering a serious knee injury in January and reports suggest that Juve could be tempted to haggle down the asking price. Juve have an option to buy the striker once his loan deal expires in summer.
“Juve signed a contract. The option price is already fixed and it will remain that way,” De Laurentiis said. “I am not stupid. I wouldn’t make a gift of Quagliarella.”
Zidane committed to Real task
Zinedine Zidane says he has high hopes for his working relationship with Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho, who has sought to involve him more closely in first-team affairs.
Since November 2010, Zidane has been working as an advisor to Real president Florentino Perez, but he said he has also been working as a link between the playing squad and the management.
“It’s my commitment. It’s what I want, getting closer to the pitch and the team,” Zidane said.
“I don’t talk much and people wonder what I do, but I do lots of things inside the club. It’s what interests me, the day-to-day. What’s good is that I was brought in by the coach. I didn’t click my fingers.”