Qatar 2022: St George's Park to be used by Qatar national team as base for European internationals this year

The move comes despite FA chairman Greg Dyke's unflattering comments about the Qatar 2022 World Cup

Khalfan Ibrahim of Qatar scores against the UAE (Getty Images)

Qatar's national team is use the Football Association's national football centre at St George's Park, Burton, as its base for internationals against European opposition in May.

The Qatar team will be based at St George's Park and are expected to play a friendly against Northern Ireland at a venue in the Midlands on May 31 and possibly other internationals too.

The move comes despite FA chairman Greg Dyke's unflattering comments about Qatar hosting the 2022 World Cup.

Dyke said last month, after Fifa's decision to play the World Cup in winter: "The best option would be to not hold it in Qatar, but we are now beyond that so November/December would seem to be the best of the bad options."

An FA source said Qatar's use of St George's Park was a commercial arrangement similar to visits by Spanish side Barcelona and Turkish giants Galatasaray last year and more recently Montserrat, and that all surplus income would be invested into grass-roots football.

Northern Ireland have a Euro 2016 qualifier on June 13 and are also expected to play Wales in Cardiff on June 4.

Qatar are ranked as 120th in the world by Fifa while Northern Ireland's latest ranking is 51st.

PA