World Cup 2022 - Qatar too hot

[pcolbeck]

FIFA have just realised that it's hot in the Gulf States in the middle of summer, very hot like 50degC hot and far too hot to play football. How did they manage to miss that when they decided that Qatar could host the cup ?

[spesh]

I can think of 10 reasons why the impracticality of hosting a football tournament in a Gulf state was mysteriously overlooked:

• The Qataris slipped Sepp Blatter et al several suitcases filled with Dollar bills.
• FIFA are "couldn't organise a Bacchanal in a brewery"-level incompetent.
• See 1.
• See 1.
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[mattc]

This seems like the 1st sensible decision to come out of FIFA (or EUFA, or FA, or ... ) in about 10 years.

If you want to whine about Qatar getting the thing I'm sure there are many other reasons to - but moving it to winter seems perfectly reasonable to me. Should hot countries never get world cups? Ask the Irish about the USA finals!

[Cudzoziemiec]

Could be a double win for Blatter. He's got his suitcase (see above) and now gets a precedent to establish a second, winter series of World Cups - meaning more countries and more suitcases.

[fuzzy]

Sepp Blatter seems to make Fat Pat look like a fecking amateur.

[clifftaylor]

but moving it to winter seems perfectly reasonable to me.

The Premiership sides who will provide most of the England team will not want their players disappearing for several weeks mid-season.

[pcolbeck]

but moving it to winter seems perfectly reasonable to me.

The Premiership sides who will provide most of the England team will not want their players disappearing for several weeks mid-season.

The same applies to the Germans, French, Italians, Spanish etc etc. The only big footballing nations who will like it are Brazil and Argentina.

[Jaded]

FIFA want the non-playing countries to pay more football. What better way to do that than weaken the stronger nations for the competition.

[Wowbagger]

Or (heaven forfend) perhaps the premiership could suspend operations for the duration?

[Cudzoziemiec]

FIFA want the non-playing countries to pay more football. What better way to do that than weaken the stronger nations for the competition.

And holding big tournaments in countries where it's not a big sport. A bit like bringing the TdF to GB in 1994, only more so.

[Jaded]

Or (heaven forfend) perhaps the premiership could suspend operations for the duration?

It's more than that though. There's training and acclimatisation, and recovery afterwards. The top level players don't cope with a World Cup in the summer, so they will be far worse in the winter.

[pcolbeck]

FIFA want the non-playing countries to pay more football. What better way to do that than weaken the stronger nations for the competition.

And holding big tournaments in countries where it's not a big sport. A bit like bringing the TdF to GB in 1994, only more so.

Except Qatar only has 250,000 citizens. Even if you got 50% of them mad about football holding the world cup there to achieve that would be overkill.
There are plenty of other countries with large populations where it could have been held to greater effect if that's the main thing they are concerned with.

[pcolbeck]

I'm hoping for an African team to win the World Cup sometime soon but if one does up end up winning against artificially weak European teams (due to clubs refusing to release players) it would taint a win. Mind you most of the best African players play for European clubs these days so maybe they wouldn't get to go either and some random place like North Korea would win.

[mattc]

but moving it to winter seems perfectly reasonable to me.

The Premiership sides who will provide most of the England team will not want their players disappearing for several weeks mid-season.

If you think the Premiership is more important than the World Cup, then it may not seem very reasonable.

FIFA want the non-playing countries to pay more football.

Excellent Freudian typo 

[Jaded]

Ah yes! Brilliant 

[Cudzoziemiec]

FIFA want the non-playing countries to pay more football. What better way to do that than weaken the stronger nations for the competition.

And holding big tournaments in countries where it's not a big sport. A bit like bringing the TdF to GB in 1994, only more so.

Except Qatar only has 250,000 citizens. Even if you got 50% of them mad about football holding the world cup there to achieve that would be overkill.
There are plenty of other countries with large populations where it could have been held to greater effect if that's the main thing they are concerned with.

It's not about Qatar (except maybe in that they wanted it more) it sends a message to the whole Middle East as well as to small countries worldwide.

I'm hoping for an African team to win the World Cup sometime soon but if one does up end up winning against artificially weak European teams (due to clubs refusing to release players) it would taint a win. Mind you most of the best African players play for European clubs these days so maybe they wouldn't get to go either and some random place like North Korea would win.

They (NK) reached the semi finals, first Asian country to do so. Mind you that was the year England won and probably just as typical.

[clifftaylor]

The Premiership sides who will provide most of the England team will not want their players disappearing for several weeks mid-season.

If you think the Premiership is more important than the World Cup, then it may not seem very reasonable.

The people who pay the blokes who would play in the England team aren't interested in the World Cup - for example, why would Alex Ferguson (as was) want to risk Rooneys season attempting to win the World Cup for England??

[mattc]

The Premiership sides who will provide most of the England team will not want their players disappearing for several weeks mid-season.

If you think the Premiership is more important than the World Cup, then it may not seem very reasonable.

The people who pay the blokes who would play in the England team aren't interested in the World Cup - for example, why would Alex Ferguson (as was) want to risk Rooneys season attempting to win the World Cup for England??

I don't care.

For me, the World Cup should be the focus of global football. 1966 was a Big Thing. If it isn't, there is a problem. Pandering to Premiership managers (and their Russian/corporate owners) probably won't fix the problem.

[clifftaylor]

Matt, I'm not saying I agree with the situation, I'm saying what the situation is. And 1966 is nearly 50 years ago - many things have changed.

[mattc]

And I say again - having it in winter seems very reasonable. It is after all a winter sport!

[pcolbeck]

Most important competitions for top flight English teams:

Champions League
Premiership

They dont really care about the world cup it doesnt bring them any money.

[mattc]

If you see the profits of English team owners as more important than the World Cup, then we have very different views of sport.

Criticising FIFA for not pandering to the owners is quite bizarre.

[pcolbeck]

I'm not saying I do but that they do. These are profit making companies these days and they are run for the benefit of the owners not the fans or the sport as a whole.

[mattc]

I'm not saying I do but that they do. These are profit making companies these days and they are run for the benefit of the owners not the fans or the sport as a whole.

So do you think the Qatar decision is a good one?

[pcolbeck]

No a rubbish one. For lots of reasons.