The World Cup traditionally takes place in June and July but there have been calls for the 2022 event to be held in the winter, as summer temperatures in Qatar can exceed 50 degrees Celsius.

A key part of Qatar's successful World Cup bid was innovative air-conditioned outdoor stadiums to combat the summer heat in the Gulf state.

Michel Platini, the president of Uefa, European soccer’s governing body, this week reiterated his desire to switch the tournament, advocating a month-long break in the European domestic leagues to enable it to take place in hospitable conditions.

The Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee told CNN: "Our position hasn't changed. We've always reiterated that we entered the bidding race with the intention of hosting in the summer and are continuing with our plans to deliver a World Cup in the summer unless there is a unified consensus among the international football community for alternative plans."

In an interview with the London Evening Standard newspaper, Platini, who is regarded as a possible future president of Fifa, soccer’s international governing body, said: “We have to go to Qatar when it is good for everybody to participate. What is better for the fans?”

He claimed that a winter World Cup in Qatar could be better than the 2010 event held in the southern hemisphere, saying: “Did you see in South Africa: it was freezing and nobody could go anywhere to a fan club or anything. You had to stay in the hotel.”

Sportcal