ZURICH: FIFA will step up the search for new dates to play the 2022 World Cup in Qatar at talks with football officials next Monday. Consultation was promised last year after FIFA President Sepp Blatter insisted the tournament cannot be played in the summer desert heat.

FIFA said yesterday that the six continental confederations plus clubs, leagues and players’ unions from around the world will be represented at its Zurich headquarters on September 8. The meeting will be led by Asian Football Confederation President Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa of Bahrain. A second session is scheduled for November.

Blatter has suggested his executive committee should make a decision next March. Blatter and FIFA Secretary -General Jerome Valcke have said in interviews that only a November 2022 kickoff will work.

Qatar was awarded hosting rights in a December 2010 vote of FIFA’s ruling board. The local organising committee has stood by a bid promise of hosting a June-July tournament in air-cooled stadiums. FIFA shifted its position last year after previously stating that any change must be requested by Qatari organisers. Blatter said it was “not rational” to play in summer when temperatures rise above 40 degrees C. Qatari officials have said they can change their hosting plan “if the international football community reaches a consensus”.

AP