Qatar has 'problems to solve' ahead of World Cup - Platini

[TrueColors]

Qatar has 'problems to solve' ahead of World Cup - Platini

UEFA President Michel Platini attends the draw for the 2013/2014 UEFA Europa League Cup soccer competition at Monaco's Grimaldi Forum in Monte Carlo August 30, 2013. REUTERS/Jean Pierre Amet

PARIS | Sun Oct 20, 2013 7:56pm BST

(Reuters) - UEFA president Michel Platini has urged Qatar to solve its "problems" ahead of the 2022 World Cup which will be played in the Gulf state.

"It's a gift that was made to the Qataris," the Frenchman told Canal Plus in an interview aired on Sunday.

"But there are problems and they have to solve them. There are more important problems than knowing whether we play (the World Cup) in the summer or in the winter."

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has hinted that the 2022 World Cup might be played during the European winter because of the unbearable hear in Qatar in June-July.

Qatar has been criticised for migrants' working conditions in the country and allegations of workers' death on construction sites.

(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Ed Osmond)