The world football players' union FIFPro has sounded a warning about the perils of intense tropical heat during next year's World Cup in Brazil.
FIFPro secretary general Theo van Seggelen said Monday the weather in Brazil was a far more pressing concern than the prospect of playing a summer World Cup in Qatar in 2022, reports Xinhua.
"It astonishes me that the media is obsessed with Qatar in nine years' time and does not seem very bothered about the World Cup in 2014," Van Seggelen said.
He pointed to the Confederations Cup in June, particularly the semifinal in Fortaleza between Italy and Spain in 32-degree celsius heat with sapping humidity.
"I spoke to the Italian and Spanish players after the semifinal and they said it was impossible to play extra time in that heat, and that was a late afternoon kickoff," the Dutchman said.
"We have to realise that it's not just the quality of the game that is affected, but the players' health could be damaged.
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"The travelling is also a problem, you have four-hour flights in some cases and when you have just played a tough game and only have a few days to recover, that also has an effect."
FIFPro is awaiting the results of a report before consulting FIFA for assurances about player safety during the June 12 to July 13 tournament.