Take World Cup away from Qatar, says Fifa ExCo member Theo Zwanziger

Zwanziger wants tournament to be held four years later spread around Arab nations

Fifa executive committee member Theo Zwanziger has said the 2022 World Cup should be taken away from Qatar and spread around Arab countries four years later.

Zwanziger, a vocal opponent of Qatar’s winning bid, said the “sinful case” is so big that “world football will not come to peace” unless the tournament is taken away from the gas-rich Gulf nation.

As a compromise, Zwanziger proposes holding the World Cup four years later in winter – to avoid the summer heat which has been one of the main problems with the Qatar bid – and in the Arab region, including Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman.

Zwanziger, a former German Football Federation president, is leaving Fifa’s executive committee in May.

The head of the German FA, Wolfgang Niersbach has announced he will run to succeed Zwanziger on the committee. Niersbach has been critical both of Fifa’s handling of the corruption report into the 2018 and 2022 World Cups and picking Qatar for 2022.