Sepp Blatter, soon up for re-election as the president of FIFA, has a shipwrecked sailor’s sense of which way the wind is blowing.

On Friday, he was in Qatar, which was named last month as host of the 2022 World Cup. At the time, nobody at FIFA seemed worried that summer temperatures in the Middle East can reach 120 degrees, more fit for a hot tub than a soccer match.

Now, fearful sweat glands everywhere are suggesting that the monthlong tournament be rescheduled for December 2021 or January 2022. On Friday, Blatter told reporters for the first time, sure, why not?

“I expect it to be held in winter,” he said, according to Reuters, adding, “When you play football, you have to protect the main people, the players.”