Platini determined to introduce Winter World Cup

UEFA president Michel Platini is determined to stage the World Cup during the European winter for the first time at the 2022 tournament in Qatar, the Frenchman told the London Evening Standard.

The move would require all major European Leagues to take a month-long winter break, including England's Premier League which has no mid-season break at all.

"I hope it will be held in winter," he said. "We have to go to Qatar when it is good for everybody to participate. What is better for the fans?"

Platini believes there is enough time to work out how to organise the domestic leagues around a winter World Cup.

"In 10 years we can manage to decide how we can postpone the season for one month," he said.

"January is difficult for the World Cup because you have the Winter Olympic Games. If we stop from November 2 to December 20, it means, instead of finishing in May, we stop in June. It is not a big problem. It is for the good of the World Cup, the most important competition in the world."

Platini voted for Qatar to get the 2022 World Cup in preference to England and was also in favour of Russia being awarded the 2018 tournament.

"I voted for Qatar because it was time to go to a country in that part of the world," he said. "They bid five times."

He also denied voting for Qatar after being told to do so by former France president Nicolas Sarkozy.

"I tell you one thing immediately," Platini said. "One day I was invited to dinner by Sarkozy where there was the Prime Minister of Qatar. Mr Sarkozy never asked me during the dinner to vote for Qatar. They invited me to the dinner but they know I will be independent, that I will vote for who I want."