Fifa recommends November-December dates for 2022 Qatar World Cup

Fifa president Sepp Blatter says he wants the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar to be played no later than December 18.

Earlier this month a Fifa task force recommended November-December dates for the 2022 Qatar World Cup following concerns about soaring summer temperatures.

UEFA has proposed playing the final at the tournament on December 23, just two days before Christmas, to lessen disruption to its own international matches.

That sparked uproar in Britain as it would threaten the traditional festive club programme.

Blatter, speaking for the first time since a FIFA task force confirmed November/December for the World Cup, said: "Not until the 23rd, definitely not. We have to stop at the 18th."

The FIFA president was speaking in Belfast ahead of a meeting of the International FA Board.

FIFA's General secretary, Jérôme Valcke, has rejected the possibility of the Premier League, and other European leagues, claiming compensation for the consequences of a November and December World Cup.

On Monday, European Club Association chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge suggested that Europe's leagues and clubs would deserve financial reimbursement for the 2022 Qatar World Cup, which promises to wreak havoc with more than 50 domestic leagues.

FIFA's General secretary, Jérôme Valcke, has confirmed the 2022 Qatar World Cup will run for 28 days, four shorter than usual.

Addressing a media briefing in Doha this morning, the French national elaborated on recommendations set out by a Fifa task force on Monday, but would not confirm the exact dates of the event.

Football's World governing body will meet in Zurich on March 20th where they are expected to iron out the fine details.

Premier league bosses are furious tonight, after FIFA announced the 2022 Qatar World Cup should be held just before Christmas - right in the middle of the European football season.

Officials have called the decision 'disappointing' and 'wrong'.

The timing has been shifted to avoid the blistering heat of the Qatari summer - which can reach 50 degrees Celsius. ITV News Sports Editor Steve Scott reports from Doha.

Football Supporters Federation chief executive Kevin Miles has reacted passionately to news that a Fifa task force has recommended the 2022 Qatar World Cup be staged in November and December.

"If you asked a few years ago about what Qatar can contribute to football," Miles explained, "the only thing people would say would be 'money.' That cannot be a healthy basis as being the only criteria with which decision are made."

Fifa presidential candidate Luis Figo has offered his support to the recommendation that the 2022 Qatar World Cup should be played in November and December.

The former Portuguese international will stand against president Sepp Blatter in Fifa's elections this May, but agrees that staging the event "in the best possible conditions for the fans and players" is of greatest importance.

Speaking following the announcement of a Fifa task force today, Figo said:

Gary Neville has backed the recommendation by a Fifa task force to stage the 2022 Qatar World Cup in November and December.

Speaking on talkSPORT's Drive show, which Neville is co-hosting today, the England coach and former Three Lions defender described the idea that the Premier League wouldn't cope with the havoc caused as "garbage."

European Club Association chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge believes Europe's clubs will deserve to be compensated if the 2022 Qatar World Cup is staged in November and December.

Rummenigge, who is also the chairman of German giants Bayern Munich, was speaking after a Fifa task force today recommended the tournament is played between late November and late December.

A Fifa meeting in Zurich next month is expected to confirm those dates, with wide-ranging consequences for Europe's biggest domestic leagues, many of whom enjoy packed schedules during the calendar year's final two months.

In a statement released to the media today, Rummenigge explained:

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes that holding the 2022 Qatar World Cup in November and December "makes sense" because of the safety implications involved with staging the tournament during the summer months.

Ahead of this week's Champions League showdown with former club Monaco, Wenger told reporters: