The Qatar 2022 supreme committee has hit back at allegations made by English FA chairman Greg Dyke that hosting the competition in the summer would be "impossible"
Organisers of the 2022 World Cup have insisted that Qatar is a suitable choice to hold the tournament despite fears that soaring temperatures could make it dangerous.
The Qatar 2022 supreme committee hit back following claims from English Football Association chairman Greg Dyke that hosting the competition in the Middle East this summer would be "impossible" due to the extreme heat in the Arab nation.
The competition's organising body maintain that they will be able to host the tournament in the summer, with the supreme committee telling BBC Sport:
"It was the right decision to award the World Cup to the Middle East for the first time in 2022.
"We are ready to host in summer or winter. We have always maintained that this issue requires the agreement of the international football community.
"A decision to alter the dates of the 2022 FIFA World Cup would not affect our infrastructure planning."
Fears regarding the climate have long been held over the 22nd edition of international football's most prestigious tournament, with a switch to the winter months later in the calendar mooted as a likely outcome.
However, the English Premier League are unhappy with this alternative arrangement as it would affect the club calendar, which critics clam would need to be rescheduled for up to three seasons and require players' contracts to be rewritten because of the changing of dates.
Fifa president Sepp Blatter has already conceded that players and fans alike could struggle with the heat, while general secretary Jerome Valcke admitted in March that the tournament may be moved.
The average temperature in the Qatari capital, Doha, in July 2012 was 41C.
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