Ski chief criticises 'god-like' FIFA over winter World Cup

FIFA's "god-like" attitude to holding the football World Cup in winter has been slammed by a top skiing official, who insists it would kill winter sports and lose them sponsors. International Ski Federation (FIS) president Gian Franco Kasper railed against world football's governing body on Friday, before the start of the ski World Cup season in the Austrian resort of Soelden. "I honestly and privately just don't believe that anybody within FIFA cares about us," Kasper said. The idea of holding the World Cup in the winter months has been floated due to the hot summer temperatures in Qatar, which hosts the 2022 event. But it has been met by major opposition from winter sports and domestic football leagues, with which the event would clash. Kasper added: "They're the gods of the world -- at least they believe it -- they can do whatever they want. Now we are opposing it of course as much as we can. "If they would decide to have the FIFA world championships in November, eventually even December, we could live with it. (But) we of course we would be 100-percent opposed if they try to do it in January. "Imagine the downhill race in Kitzbuehel and during the same time on television you have skiing and a very important football game: I don't think that that works." "And to have them as some people believe during the Winter (Olympic) Games as such, I think that would be killing the sport." If the world's biggest sports events were to clash, it would be bad for everyone, he argued. "I don't think anybody would be interested, sponsors wouldn't be interested. "I still hope my colleague (FIFA President Sepp Blatter) will think about that," he urged. FIFA has postponed its decision on a switch from summer to winter until after next year's World Cup in Brazil. Source: AFP