LONDON -- Insisting they deserve the chance to stage the World Cup, Qatars football leaders on Saturday hit back at their English counterparts for suggesting that FIFA consider taking the 2022 tournament away from the desert nation. New English Football Association chairman Greg Dyke incensed the Qataris by arguing that the heat in the tiny emirate could be "very dangerous" and calling on FIFA to find a new location for the World Cup or anger European leagues by rescheduling it in winter. Concerns about Qatars plans have mounted since its bid surprisingly triumphed in 2010 despite being declared "high risk" by FIFAs own inspection team, which highlighted the sweltering summer heat in the Persian Gulf where temperatures can hit 50 degrees Celsius (120 Fahrenheit). But the Qataris on Saturday insisted that they could deliver footballs biggest event and that the 2010 vote was the "right decision." "Football is the most popular sport in the Middle East and the people of our region deserve the opportunity to have history made in their part of the world," the Qatar World Cup supreme committee said in a statement to The Associated Press. "We are committed to delivering on the promises we made in our successful bid. We are ready to host in summer or winter." Although the English FA is open to rescheduling the tournament for the cooler winter months in Qatar, the English Premier League is firmly against any changes that would disrupt its August-May season. FIFA President Sepp Blatter recently agreed that his executive committee should consider in October whether the showpiece event should be moved to the winter, having described a summer tournament in Qatar as "not rational and reasonable." "We have always maintained that this issue requires the agreement of the international football community," the Qatar statement said. "A decision to alter the dates of the 2022 FIFA World Cup would not affect our infrastructure planning." Qatar planned to counter the extreme heat by building air-conditioned stadiums, but potential health concerns remain for players, fans and officials travelling around the country -- an issue the organizers didnt address on Saturday. "The development of environmentally friendly cooling technologies is an important legacy issue for our nation, region and in countries with similar climates," the statement said after Dyke questioned how air conditioning stadiums fits with a "green policy." Oil-wealthy Qatar successfully saw off rival bids from the United States, Japan, South Korea and Australia to land the World Cup, allowing FIFA to take the tournament to a new frontier. "Clearly people wanted to take football to a place like Qatar where theres no footballing tradition," Dyke said. "But it wasnt thought through properly ... if thousands of fans turn up for a tournament in Qatar it could be very dangerous." nfl jerseys china . Another training session Friday remains on the schedule before Saturdays downhill race. The weekend concludes with a super-G race Sunday. World Cup rules require at least one official training session to be held before a downhill race. cheap jerseys . Now theyre playing sky high. Boston won its fifth straight series with a 10-4 win Wednesday over the Toronto Blue Jays with six runs in the first inning against a wild Ricky Romero and with the help of David Ortizs 399th career homer. http://www.cheapnfljerseyschinapla... . -- Anton Karlsson and Gustaf Franzen each scored twice as Sweden overcame Russia 7-5 to win its first under-17 world hockey challenge title Friday. [url=http://www.cheapnfljerseyschinaplay.com/]cheap jerseys from china . As many as 15 teams were in the mix for the 24-year-olds services. Miller played four seasons in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference, accumulating 42 goals and 114 assists in 141 games. cheap nfl jerseys . Joffrey Lupuls status is now the biggest question mark surrounding the club as the Maple Leafs continue the push for their first playoff berth since 2004.Loading up for the postseason, the Philadelphia Phillies added a proven bat to the middle of their lineup. Numbers Game looks at the acquisition of Hunter Pence. The Phillies Get: RF Hunter Pence and cash considerations. Pence, 28, is a productive hitter who is having a fine offensive season for a languishing Astros club. His .309 batting average ranks ninth in the National League, while his .828 OPS ranks 24th. A word of caution, however; Pence has a .370 batting average on balls in play and while his BABIP was even higher in his rookie season (.377 in 2007), its been much closer to .300 in the years since, so odds are that a regression is in order, which would figure to bring his overall batting average down when luck isnt shining on him quite so fortuitously. Pence tends to be rather aggressive at the plate, usually posting far more strikeouts than walks, but he can hit and is decent on the basepaths too -- stealing 25 in 35 attempts over the last two seasons. His fielding numbers have been subpar this season, but that may be a matter of small sample size because his ultimate zone rating (www.fangraphs.com) has been on the plus side of the ledger for each of the past three seasons. In Philadelphia, Pence provides an upgrade and is a more proven option than rookie Domonic Brown in right field, but given the struggles of left fielder Raul Ibanez, that may be where Pence utlimately fits in Philly, at least over the next couple of seasons, even if not immediately. Pence is making $6.9-million this year and is eligible for arbitration the next two seasons, which should have him earning eight figures. The Astros Get: RHP Jarred Cosart, 1B/LF Jonathan Singleton, RHP Josh Zeid and a player to be named later. Cosart is a 21-year-old fireballer whose fastball climbs into the upper 90s. A 38th-round pick in 2008, hes 9-8 with a 3.92 ERA and 1.31 WHIP with 79 strikeouts in 108 innings at Advanced-A Clearwater this season. His power repertoire gives Cosart a chance to be a top-of-the-rotation starter, but even if the Astros need a pitcching upgrade now, theyre better served letting him develop at his own pace, even if that means hes a couple of years away from making his mark in the bigs.dddddddddddd Singleton, a 19-year-old slugger who is hitting .282 with a .798 OPS at Clearwater, has the frame and swing to be a power hitter in the majors. Hes played primarily first base in his pro career, though hes split this year between first and left field. With a couple years of seasoning, Singleton has a chance to be a middle-of-the order power hitter for the Astros. 24-year-old Josh Zeid has run into some trouble at Double-A, posting a 6.80 ERA in 11 starts before being shifted to the bullpen, where hes been effective, posting a 2.25 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 16 innings. Hes a decent power pitcher and that may serve him better as a middle reliever as he climbs the ladder. He may not be that far away from getting a chance in Houston, but his ceiling is substantially lower than Singleton and Cosart, both of whom ranked among Keith Laws Top 35 prospects at the start of the 2011 season. The return for the Astros is significant; Cosart and Singleton both have the potential to become front line players for the organization, but prospects are fraught with risk. Pitchers run into arm trouble, sluggers at the lower levels of the minors cant adjust to breaking or off-speed pitches on their way up the ladder, so until they actually arrive in the major leagues -- and that may be a couple of years away -- the Astros will have to cling to potential. In the meantime, speedster Jason Bourgeois, hitting .371 in part-time duty, may see more playing time in the Houston outfield for the rest of the season, but the prime opportunity is for 23-year-old prospect J.D. Martinez, who is hitting .340 with a .965 OPS in Double-A this season. Long-term, Martinez obviously has the pedigree to be a long-term fixture in the Astros outfield. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. cheap jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '