World Cup May Be Moved To Winter

[ChillDoubt]

http://m.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/21644726

The FIFA World Cup in Qatar may be moved to winter 2022 after concerns were expressed about summer temps there, which have reached 50 degrees in the past.

But surely this sort of event would have been discussed and concerns expressed by Mr Blatter et al when they made their successful bid?
Or we're FIFA officials blinded by the filthy luchre that was undoubtedly offered from that tiny, soccer mad nation steeped in footballing history?

[emmie]

you would think someone had noticed it before now..

[ChillDoubt]

You really would, wouldn't you em10?!

It'll be farcical. Presuming they qualify I wonder how many England fans will have their flights delayed and cancelled as a result of inclement weather and an inch of snowfall here?

[munchie63]

proof if ever it was needed that money talks.
they said at the time of the rigged voting that they would 'cool the stadiums'. How can moving it to winter and disrupting almost all league seasons work ? hardly fair on the other bidding nations

[Stephen_G]

They talked about this as soon as Qatar was announced as the winning bidder.

[emmie]

they talked about it perhaps, but didn't do anything?

[tonyav]

Could seriously damage a lot of big clubs all over Europe with a lot of their star players missing for the duration of the world cup.

[New Judge]

Yes you would like to think it would have been considered. But having said that, I for one am all for it. Anything that makes the country and the rest of Europe a football free zone for a few short weeks in the summer has my full support. Every other year my holidays on the continent have to be carefully considered so as to avoid the lunacy that is the World Cup or the Euro championships. On more than one occasion I have had my holidays all but ruined because every bar, restaurant and holiday resort is infested with multiple TV sets showing three second rate football matches every day. Usually few, if anybody watches these events but the proprietors insist on having the volume at full blast and the incessant drivel of the "commentators" together with the constant purile noise from the crowd makes for a most unpleasant experience.

Football is a winter game and it should not be imposed upon people trying to enjoy the summer.

[Mattk]

"Football is a winter game"

Football isn't a winter game.
Some countries take winter breaks and it has been discussed here too. A typical domestic season start August and ends May.

[ichkeria]

The only consideration made when Qatar was chosen I suspect was "how soon will the money be transferred to my account" :-)

That said, Olympic games etc are held in the summer of the hosting nation. There's no reason why the World Cup should be different. In fact, even in "normal" countries the hot weather is often a factor.

[zebo]

It's a bit warmish in Qarar in Summer!!!!!!! No excrement Mr Holmes! Are people paid good to notice these things?
As for the implied implication of less than open and transparent dealings by FIFA officials, I'll go to the foot of our stairs, as my late Mum would say. I always notice that FIFA is simply an F more than FIA and we all know just how impartial they are too.

[zebo]

In Qatar too!

[doctordb]

Good job Paul scholes is too old.

[Zacs-Master]

Farcically Incompetent Football Authority.

[DaisyNonna]

That's men for you!

[New Judge]

Football is a nine or ten month game because of the ridiculous number of competitions that are now played, Mattk. The Football League used to start in late August (a week after the Charity Shield was played) and finished by mid to late April, followed by the FA Cup final in early May, and that was that.

The problem now is not only is the season extended to late May by at least every two years the nonsensical international competitions mean there is virtually no closed season at all. Incredible as it may seem to some not everybody is obsessed with football. With the closed season, when we are free of the lunacy, now being so short it seems fair and reasonable to respect that closure. I do hope the Dubai World Cup is postponed to the winter. The authorities here have eight or nine years to adjust and it could be easily be accommodated. The easiest way would be to cancel the inappropriately named and ridiculously lengthy “Champions League” that year.

[New Judge]

Or the Qatar World Cup, even. (All those places are much of a muchness and it's little wonder they are confused with each other).

[Prudie]

It's a World Cup so all qualifying countries should be allowed to hold it, irrelevant of their climate.

[sir.prize]

Qatar does not recognise Israel; so if the latter qualifies for the World Cup Finals . . .

[ludwig]

NJ, you're very funny. I mean funny ha ha.

[Gromit]

Several European countries have a winter break to their seasons. There have been calls for England to have one. Postponments do to our bad weather lead to fixture congestion and clubs ending up playing four games in a week to catch up. To the southern hemisphere nations it has always been played during their winter.

So a winter break, to go and play in the World Cup in a warm country would not be the end of the world.