World Cup 2022: FIFA executive panel debates Qatar heat, workers' rights

'Slave state' in Qatar's labor force?

• FIFA is meeting in Zurich to discuss issues around the 2022 Qatar World Cup
• A decision could be made on whether to move the tournament to Qatar's winter months
• UEFA president has reportedly said he is more concerned by claims of labor abuse
• UEFA has backed a plan to move 2022 Qatar World Cup to winter

 Top international soccer officials are meeting Thursday in Switzerland to discuss whether to change the dates for the 2022 World Cup tournament in Qatar from summer to winter amid concerns over heat.

The two-day meeting of FIFA's executive committee in Zurich will also consider allegations that migrant workers employed on huge World Cup-related construction projects are being abused.

FIFA, the game's world governing body, has been considering the option of moving the tournament because of fears that players and fans could be adversely affected by temperatures that sometimes reach 122 degrees Fahrenheit during the summer.

All 54 member associations of UEFA, Europe's governing body, last month voted against holding the tournament in the Qatari summer, adding to speculation that a move to the winter was in prospect.

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But a winter World Cup would cause chaos with the European domestic season, with many clubs fearing they could lose out financially.

The final decision lies with FIFA's executive committee, known as Exco -- with its verdict widely expected to come Friday.

Decision, or no decision?

UEFA President Michel Platini has reportedly cast doubt on that, however. "There will be no decision. It is impossible," he is quoted by Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper as saying Wednesday in Zurich.

Platini reportedly added that he was "much more concerned" by allegations of abusive labor practices in Qatar than the question of when the tournament is played.

FIFA said last week that it would raise the issue of workers' rights with the Qatari authorities and that the executive committee would discuss claims that migrant workers are being exploited.

A report in May highlighted allegations by rights groups that thousands of construction workers building the infrastructure for the 2022 World Cup have been abused, denied their wages and trapped in a situation from which they cannot escape because, under Qatar's visa system, they cannot leave the country without their employer's consent. Allegations made by The Guardian newspaper last week added to concerns.

The world professional footballers association, FIFPro, said that "Qatar must respect the rights of the key people who will deliver the 2022 FIFA World Cup: the workers who build the World Cup stadia and infrastructure and the professional footballers who play in them."

The Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee has said it is committed to ensuring workers' safety and well being.

Ali Al Khulaifi, an international relations adviser at Qatar's Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, said Wednesday that the government takes its international obligations very seriously, the state-run Qatar News Agency reported.

The ministry has commissioned an international law firm, DLA Piper, to carry out in independent investigation into the allegations and report back to the government, it said.

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The question of any shift in the calendar for the 2022 World Cup -- or, more drastically, any move to take it away from the wealthy Gulf nation -- will be closely watched around the world.

The Qatar conundrum

Australia, which lost out to Qatar along with South Korea, the United States and Japan, believes it should be compensated if the World Cup is held in the winter rather than the summer and has threatened legal action.

A move to the winter months could also have big cost implications for European clubs and for broadcasters. Moving matches means shifting many of the events that the latter have paid multimillions for and, importantly, would be wanting to tie up in contracts for the future.

FIFA President Sepp Blatter recently said that it would not be feasible to hold a summer World Cup in Qatar. But Qatar disagrees.

FIFA puts heat on Qatar

Hassan al-Thawadi, secretary general of the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee, told CNN last week that it is "absolutely not" too hot during the summer to stage the tournament then.

He acknowledged that summer in his country is hot, but said, "Other nations have hosted similar World Cups in similar if not more severe conditions."

In addition, he said, Qatar is investing in cooling technologies for stadiums, training areas and fan areas.

This, he said, "adds more confidence to us in terms of our ability to host a very successful and very memorable World Cup."