UEFA president Michel Platini and world footballers' union FIFPro have given their backing to the 2022 tournament taking place in winter to minimise the danger of excessive heat.
Summer temperatures in Qatar can reach 50C and though Richards admits he expects the competition to switch to the cooler months, he called on officials to put robust plans in place to minimise disruption.
"Fixture congestion is incredibly difficult so, for us at this minute, the answer is no," said Richards, speaking to Sky Sports News at the end of a two-day Securing Sport summit in Doha, when asked if the Premier League would welcome a winter World Cup.
"It has a tremendous amount of implications for Europe. But if we take a proper view we may have to find a way where we have a winter period where we don't play. I think common sense will prevail and we'll come up with a solution.
"I think they (FIFA) will play at the time of year that is proper for football - it can't be the summer here. I think it will be a winter World Cup but they will have to talk to the leagues, especially in Europe, because the implications are very big.
"They will have to come to proper times when we can start and finish; a winter break has been talked about for two or three years in the UK anyway."
Post Comment
