Intro:

FIFA General Secretary Jerome Valcke rules out staging the 2022 World Cup in January as he speaks exclusively to SNTV after a news conference on Tuesday (9th December) ahead of the Club World Cup in Marrakech, Morocco.

Script:

SOUNDBITE (English) Jerome Valcke, FIFA Secretary General:

"It will potentially impact the Olympic Winter Games so that's definitely not for him (FIFA President Sepp Blatter) a real option. And he is not looking at January versus November December. I just want to make it clear because I want to avoid, on an item that seems to be very hot, whatever we talk about Qatar there seems to be a misunderstanding about what we are working on and we are working on a final decision by the FIFA Executive Committee in March".

SOUNDBITE (English) Jerome Valcke, FIFA Secretary General: (Q: But even with that there's no chance of January decision?)

"And for most of these winter federations, it's the time of cycle where they can showcase the best of their sports so it is seen as unfair from football who already has so much to again shadow the federations who have less exposure on a day to day (level and) less power than football. So that's a main concern we know for the winter federations, and not just about the Olympic Games".