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FIFA to make decision by February regarding 2022 World Cup winter switch

Following confirmation that Sepp Blatter will seek a fifth term as football's top executive, FIFA announced on Monday that they'll make a decision regarding when to play the 2022 World Cup no later than February.

With the tournament set to controversially be hosted in Qatar, where temperatures regularly reach 45C in June, Blatter was poised to move the competition to December 2022. However, following significant backlash from the European Professional Football Leagues among others, Blatter held off on a final decision and unveiled a task force, headed by FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke, to examine all the potential options.

FIFA also reiterated on Monday that the World Cup could be played in January and February, a move that would clash with the Winter Olympics, and provides a stark contrast to the comments of International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach, who said last year that he had reached an agreement with Blatter that the World Cup and Winter Olympics would not overlap.

The task force will meet again in November to discuss how the potential dates impact each of the competitions pertaining to the representatives who have been asked to provide detailed information. Another meeting is also expected to be held in February.

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