LONDON - FIFA President Sepp Blatter added to the confusion surrounding the timing of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar by saying on Monday he still expected it to take place in the northern hemisphere summer - having last month predicted it would be staged in winter.

The tournament tradtionally takes place in June and July but with temperatures in Qatar rising to 40 degrees Celsius in those months many have questioned whether it would be safe for the world's top footballers to play in such searing heat.

And that led to suggestions, some from Blatter, that the first World Cup to be staged in the Middle East could take place in the European winter despite the fact it might interfere with the continent's club seasons.