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European Club Association president Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has said European clubs are not prepared to "pay the bill" if the 2022 World Cup, due to take place in Qatar, is switched from summer to winter. Although some in football, including FIFA executive board member Theo Zwanziger, have voiced doubts about whether the tournament will be staged in Qatar at all, the prospective switch to winter has left Rummenigge alarmed about the effects on European club football. "Everyone will have to pay a price to play the tournament in Qatar," Rummenigge, also the Bayern Munich CEO, told goal.com. "In principle, the ECA is willing to discuss to move the World Cup, be it November, January or whenever, but on one condition -- club football and the leagues shall not be the only ones to pay the bill. "The first thing we must recognise is that FIFA's decision was based on holding the World Cup in the summer of 2022. If we change from summer to November or January then it will affect our business and our calendar. #INSERT type:image caption:Rummenigge has warned FIFA that they need the goodwill of clubs if the 2022 World Cup is to be moved. END# "We are not ready to pay such a bill. That cost cannot be paid for by the clubs. It has to be made clear to FIFA that they need the goodwill of the clubs or we are not ready to talk. "Ideally, we only change the calendar for one year, and not for two or three, so we have to discuss whether the 2020-2021 Confederations Cup can take place on this basis." He warned that a World Cup switch to January 2022 -- when the Winter Olympics are also due to take place - would be difficult, adding: "We need to find an intelligent solution." The Winter Games may have to move from their traditional January and February dates should the World Cup finals face a season change, ECA executive Umberto Gandini warned last week. Rummenigge said he believed the 2022 World Cup would take place in Qatar, despite increasing controversy over its selection as a host nation. "We have a vote for Qatar, and we need to respect that for legal reasons alone," he said. "Should nothing come up in the Garcia report [into alleged corruption before and after the 2010 vote on host nations], the World Cup will take place there." Zwanziger has said he believes Qatar would be stripped of its right to host the World Cup, citing health risks for players and fans in the extreme heat of the Gulf state as the main reasons behind that belief.
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