Theo Zwanziger, a FIFA executive committee member, believes the 2022 World Cup will not be held in Qatar due to extreme temperatures.

Zwanziger, the former president of the German football association, still sits on the FIFA executive body which, in 2010 and before his time, awarded the tournament to Qatar. He suggested the threat of legal action by anyone affected by the scorching heat may force the finals to be moved.

“I personally think that in the end the 2022 World Cup will not take place in Qatar,” said the German, who is a long-standing critic of the decision to award the games to the Gulf state. “Medics say that they cannot accept responsibility with a World Cup taking place under these conditions.

“They may be able to cool the stadiums but a World Cup does not take place only there. Fans from around the world will be coming and travelling in this heat and the first life-threatening case will trigger an investigation by a state prosecutor. That is not something Fifa Exco members want to answer for.”