DOHA, Qatar (AP) FIFA President Sepp Blatter says he is confident of resolving all issues with the 2022 World Cup in Qatar that has come under criticism by rights groups over conditions for workers building the venues.
Blatter also told reporters Saturday after meeting with Qatar's emir that the decision to award the tournament to the desert nation is "not reversible." There have been calls to move the tournament because of Qatar's intense heat.
Blatter said he plans high-level meetings with Qatari officials on various issues, including labor rules and the possibility of shifting the tournament to winter to avoid the searing Gulf summer heat.
Rights groups have complained about the lack of safeguards for the mainly South Asian migrant laborers in Qatar and across the Gulf, including low-grade housing and employers withholding the worker passports.
