Anyone who's been there and walked around in 49° (this was the temperature when I went to the UAE in June 2001) will have scoffed at the very idea of holding the World Cup there. They may promise air conditionned stadiums but what about outside the stadium? I manage quite well in the heat but I was amazed at how hard it was to just venture outside and do anything in the daytime. Many fans will just collapse and some will die (especially those who expect to have a few beers).
I'd be quite happy for England to pull out. It's pure lunacy.
@Brentford Addick "Oh, and don't drag Russia into this. Proper football country, deserves a World Cup." I am not sure their record at either club or national level since the fall of the Soviet Union makes them any more proper than say Sweden, despite having 20 times more people. On the other hand they are more proper a football country than the USA, thats for sure.
Read a report somewhere the other week that they are already working on a solution to play it in the winter. What should happen is that it should be taken away from the Quataris now. How those making the decision did not consider climate conditions is beyond a joke. Like playing the Ashes series in a Siberian winter.
Money in back pocket overides such considerations! I suspect the big clubs will assess the risks to their players and create a stink - the only solution will be to play in Winter as FIFA top bods will have spent the money bunged to them by then!!! Will be a shambles that undermines the World Cup - Shame on FIFA and the crooks that run it!
Muttley makes a good point. Pressure from major clubs may well have the same effect if those clubs start dissuading their emerging talent from making themselves available for a World Cup played in circumstances that are likely to lead to long-term performance issues.
Qatar is only 2 hours ahead so having games in the middle of the night won't help achieve big audiences in the major TV markets.
The whole thing is a mess. One we will probably go along with...
Anyone who's been there and walked around in 49° (this was the temperature when I went to the UAE in June 2001) will have scoffed at the very idea of holding the World Cup there. They may promise air conditionned stadiums but what about outside the stadium? I manage quite well in the heat but I was amazed at how hard it was to just venture outside and do anything in the daytime. Many fans will just collapse and some will die (especially those who expect to have a few beers).
I'd be quite happy for England to pull out. It's pure lunacy.
Was there in November 2002, very pleasent it was to (25-30c) so maybe OK for a winter world cup (they are talking about this on R5L at the moment)....but agrre no good in the summer.
The problem is that we have no-one with the balls to stand firm and kick up a stink. The bidding process was for a WC in the summer and that it what Qutar won.........not one to be held in the winter, otherwise other countries could have bid for it on that basis.
If Qutar can't hold it in the summer then FIFA should go back & either give it to the bid that came 2nd or start the bidding process all over again. Just wish someone had the guts to stand up to FIFA and tell them this.
The problem though Golf is the way the Hemisphere's work... they cant really call it a "Summer" or "Winter" World Cup because in Brazil this year and South Africa 2010 it is a Winter World Cup... When Germany had it and when Russia have it... its a Summer World Cup.
And although the same could be said with the Olympics (i.e. Sydney hosting the summer games when it is in fact their winter) it is completely different as the Olympics are called the "Summer Olympics" and "Winter Olympics" whilst there is just the one World Cup
At the end of the day for any future bidders they should be warned that the competition has to be between June and July
The problem though Golf is the way the Hemisphere's work... they cant really call it a "Summer" or "Winter" World Cup because in Brazil this year and South Africa 2010 it is a Winter World Cup... When Germany had it and when Russia have it... its a Summer World Cup.
At the end of the day for any future bidders they should be warned that the competition has to be between June and July
Sort of - but a) it is summer in Qatar at that time of year so there wasn't any confusion and, b) it is quite established that the World Cup takes place in June.
Qatar knew exactly what they were doing and it looks like they will get away with it.
To be honest I'm more concerned about the working conditions of those building the stadiums.
Jerome Valcke said a winter tournament would provide 'perfect' conditions.
The football World Cup will not be played in Qatar during the summer in 2022, Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke has said.
The tournament is now likely to be played during the winter months, said Valcke.
"The dates for the World Cup (in Qatar) will not be June to July," he told Radio France.
"To be honest, I think it will be held between November 15 and January 15 at the latest.
"If you play between November 15 and the end of December that's the time when the weather conditions are best, when you can play in temperatures equivalent to a warm spring season in Europe, averaging 25 degrees.
"That would be perfect for playing football."
The scheduling of the tournament has been a controversial issue because of the sweltering temperatures in the Gulf state ,with fears that players, fans and officials could be at risk.
How will this affect the domestic leagues then? If the season is to start earlier and finish later, this will affect the length of pre season and the end/start of the campaigns at either side of these pre seasons. Or will they have teams playing every Sat and Tues to fit all the matches in? What about domestic cups and European competitions?
FIFA have royally ballsed up here by awarding it to Qatar in the first place.
It appears that this hasn't been ratified by the FIFA Executive Committee and that all the stakeholders (TV, sponsors etc etc) have yet to be consulted.
Jim Boyce FIFA Vice President believes that this is Valcke's own opinion only and not been picked up by the media as such.
The problem is that we have no-one with the balls to stand firm and kick up a stink. The bidding process was for a WC in the summer and that it what Qutar won.........not one to be held in the winter, otherwise other countries could have bid for it on that basis.
If Qutar can't hold it in the summer then FIFA should go back & either give it to the bid that came 2nd or start the bidding process all over again. Just wish someone had the guts to stand up to FIFA and tell them this.
Agree with all of that. Unfortunately the points you make would only be of any value if FIFA and it's World Cup bidding process were not so blatantly and openly corrupt.
The fact that FIFA was willing to award 2018 to Russia, where football stadiums continue to accomodate overt racism on a weekly basis, and 2022 to Qatar, with its appalling record on Human Rights issues, suggests that little or no consideration was given to the actual merit of each bid and I instead suspect that the main consideration for each member of the FIFA voting committee was the size of the backhander they received for sending their vote in the right direction. These people are now in no possession to complain about Qatar's intention to switch the World Cup to Winter.
Sometimes the end result proves the corruption - Jo Brand winning the marathon for example. Rich Qatar getting the World cup is a prime example of this. Ok it may be difficult to prove, but we all know what FIFA is about and that outcome confirms this without any doubt IMO.
LOL Jo Brand winning the marathon. More likely eating 6 or 7:-)
Can we divorce the 2018 WC from this? It's gone to a proper football nation, one of the few that hasn't hosted the event, and will do an excellent job hosting it.
2022 is a complete joke, should have gone to the Australians
A mate of mine just quit a very high profile job in Qatar, he says that the Qataris had no intention of ever staging it in their summer and that the push was on from the day after they 'won' the 2022 tournament to re-stage it in their 'winter' months.
An absolute clusterfuck of a situation and one which will lead to an all-out war between FIFA and UEFA with the latter, I can assure you, having no intention of moving their Champions League games nor have their member countries got any intention of moving their domestic leagues either.
UEFA and the EPL, La Liga, Bundesliga have all got critical broadcast contracts in place for football in the European winter and they ain't gonna change that for anybody.
Was strange that Australia came behind those three as FIFA are forever saying they want to take the tournament to new countries (Yet those three have already hosted before)
Comments
I'd be quite happy for England to pull out. It's pure lunacy.
"Oh, and don't drag Russia into this. Proper football country, deserves a World Cup."
I am not sure their record at either club or national level since the fall of the Soviet Union makes them any more proper than say Sweden, despite having 20 times more people. On the other hand they are more proper a football country than the USA, thats for sure.
Alcohol is not sold or allowed to be consumed in public. Neither can it be imported without a license.
Qatar is only 2 hours ahead so having games in the middle of the night won't help achieve big audiences in the major TV markets.
The whole thing is a mess. One we will probably go along with...
[Edit: FIFA SECRETARY GENERAL JEROME VALCKE: THE 2022 WORLD CUP IN QUTAR WILL NOT BE HELD IN JUNE OR JULY].
If Qutar can't hold it in the summer then FIFA should go back & either give it to the bid that came 2nd or start the bidding process all over again. Just wish someone had the guts to stand up to FIFA and tell them this.
And although the same could be said with the Olympics (i.e. Sydney hosting the summer games when it is in fact their winter) it is completely different as the Olympics are called the "Summer Olympics" and "Winter Olympics" whilst there is just the one World Cup
At the end of the day for any future bidders they should be warned that the competition has to be between June and July
Qatar knew exactly what they were doing and it looks like they will get away with it.
To be honest I'm more concerned about the working conditions of those building the stadiums.
It's a nonsense & should be given to the 2nd choice or revoted upon.
Jerome Valcke said a winter tournament would provide 'perfect' conditions.
The football World Cup will not be played in Qatar during the summer in 2022, Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke has said.
The tournament is now likely to be played during the winter months, said Valcke.
"The dates for the World Cup (in Qatar) will not be June to July," he told Radio France.
"To be honest, I think it will be held between November 15 and January 15 at the latest.
"If you play between November 15 and the end of December that's the time when the weather conditions are best, when you can play in temperatures equivalent to a warm spring season in Europe, averaging 25 degrees.
"That would be perfect for playing football."
The scheduling of the tournament has been a controversial issue because of the sweltering temperatures in the Gulf state ,with fears that players, fans and officials could be at risk.
More follows...
FIFA have royally ballsed up here by awarding it to Qatar in the first place.
Jim Boyce FIFA Vice President believes that this is Valcke's own opinion only and not been picked up by the media as such.
The fact that FIFA was willing to award 2018 to Russia, where football stadiums continue to accomodate overt racism on a weekly basis, and 2022 to Qatar, with its appalling record on Human Rights issues, suggests that little or no consideration was given to the actual merit of each bid and I instead suspect that the main consideration for each member of the FIFA voting committee was the size of the backhander they received for sending their vote in the right direction. These people are now in no possession to complain about Qatar's intention to switch the World Cup to Winter.
2022 is a complete joke, should have gone to the Australians
If Atlantis had bribed enough officials, we'd be having an underwater World Cup.
Cost them $43 million too!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_FIFA_World_Cup#Host_selection
Was strange that Australia came behind those three as FIFA are forever saying they want to take the tournament to new countries (Yet those three have already hosted before)