Qatar World Cup to be in November/December

[Gerry_A_Trick]

[article=http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/25653594]Fifa rules out the possibility of a Qatar summer World Cup in 2022

Fifa has completely ruled out any prospect of the Qatar 2022 World Cup being played in the summer.
President Sepp Blatter had already said the tournament would be in November or December but organisers had still hoped to host it in June and July.
But Fifa general secretary Jerome Valcke says it could take place between 15 November and 15 January.
"The dates for the World Cup (in Qatar) will not be June-July," Valcke told Radio France.
The scheduling of the tournament has been debated since it was controversially awarded to Qatar in December 2010.
Fears have been raised that the summer heat in the Gulf emirate would be dangerous for players and fans alike.
Valcke added: "To be honest, I think it will be held between 15 November and 15 January at the latest.
"If you play between 15 November 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 Africa Cup of Nations is already scheduled for January 2023.
Blatter said two months ago that a firm decision on dates for the World Cup will be made in December 2014.
The Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee has indicated it would be happy to switch to a winter World Cup.[/article]

 

[LeTallecWiz]

Ah FIFA ... you fucking idiots.

 

[Boozer]

Ah FIFA ... you fucking idiots.

You crooked, lying idiots.

 

[Fabio]

Cretinous fuckers.

 

[Gerry_A_Trick]

What do you do when you make a high profile mistake?

Insist it was the right choice and make more mistakes to cover it up. It's what you do in the political/business world. The worst thing you can do is admit it was wrong in the first place

 

[gkmacca]

Following a series of top level meetings, Dr Heinrich Faust told reporters he was 'delighted' to have persuaded Mephistopholes to delay his descent into Hell until Christmas time, when he will miss all of those irritating relations who turn up at his door just after he's eaten one stuffing ball too many. As part of their new pact, Mephistopholes has been promised a brand new blazer, a shiny BMW and a season ticket at Real Madrid.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mephistopheles

 

[Silver Sean]

Corrupt. Financially and morally.
International football can fuck off.

 

[SummerOnions]

if it's in January then its not even in 2022!

 

[Mystic]

I kinda want Countries to boycott it in protest. Fucking ridiculous.

 

[SummerOnions]

Yeah cos our FA is really upstanding about these kinda things

 

[gkmacca]

I kinda want Countries to boycott it in protest. Fucking ridiculous.

It wouldn't be too much of a surprise if Murdoch and others don't attempt a Kerry Packer-style rebel tournament. It would be the final step in TV's conquest of football.

 

[Holle]

I kinda want Countries to boycott it in protest. Fucking ridiculous.

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen,

on behalf of the Austrian Football Association (ÖFB) I can confirm that Austria will boycott FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar.

By not qualifying for it.

We will also boycott EURO 2016, World Cup 2018, EURO 2020 and all Olympic Football Tournaments the same way.

Thank you very much for your attention.

 

[FoxForceFive]

It wouldn't be too much of a surprise if Murdoch and others don't attempt a Kerry Packer-style rebel tournament. It would be the final step in TV's conquest of football.

Richard Keys, of all people, was moaning about the most vocal media opposition being Murdoch media based.

I hadn't realised that he'd bought the rights in the US for them. Understandable why he's pissed off cos it'll be competing against their own sports at that time of year so he'll get minimal viewers.

Some good news at least.

 

[refugee]

[article]FIFA vice-president Jim Boyce has told Sky Sports News that no executive decision has been made about switching the 2022 World Cup from the summer.[/article][article]

The world governing body's secretary general Jerome Valcke told French radio that the Qatar tournament 'will not be in June or July'.

Valcke said it was likely to be held sometime between 15 November and 15 January - but Boyce insists that no final decision has been taken on moving the event.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter last year said it would be impractical to hold the 2022 finals during a Middle East summer but said a decision would be delayed until after this summer's World Cup in Brazil, a stance underlined by Boyce.

"I'm totally, completely shocked to be honest," Boyce told Sky Sports News. "The situation as I am aware was that the FIFA executive committee would be awaiting a report set up by all the stakeholders involved in the World Cup.

2022 Qatar World Cup to be moved

"They would be meeting between now and the World Cup being held in Brazil next summer and reporting back to the executive meeting and there would no further discussions on Qatar 2022 until another executive meeting in December 2014.

"Whether Jerome was making a personal opinion or not I just don't know but I can honestly confirm that this has not been discussed at the executive committee of FIFA.

"I feel that it is most important that all the stakeholders meet first before reporting back to the executive committee. So I'm very surprised about what has happened this morning."

The Qatar 2022 organising committee has previously said it would be happy to switch to a winter World Cup while failed bidders Australia have vowed to seek compensation if such a change were to be implemented.[/article]

It's worth noting that Boyce is a cunt

 

[tombrown]

if it's in January then its not even in 2022!

No - when they say 15th November - 15th January, they mean that the group stages and quarter finals will be played between 15th November & 31st December 2022. The semis and final will be between 1st and 15th January 2022.

Obviously this poses a slight problem for FIFA as the semis & final will have to be played based on an assumption of who will qualify the following December, but Sepp Blatter, Michel Platini, Alex Ferguson, Howard Webb & Piarra Power are going to sit in committee to decide who those qualifying countries will be

 

[Silver Sean]

if it's in January then its not even in 2022!

Good point.

 

[Hansern]

Its insane. Hopefully most leagues will say fuck off to the whole World cup being played in November/December.
And with the ANC in January aswell?!

Lets give the WC to a place where there is no infrastucture for football, human rights are a joke and its hotter than The Lying Rag during the summer. Which means you cant acutally even play football.

Fuck off you corrupt bastards.

 

[jimmy]

Blatter will be 86 by then - he will probably be senile (if he's still alive), so he won't be there to see what he's cooked for world football.
Cunt.

Oh, and will it not be hilarious if Israel qualifies for that tournament after consistently failing to qualify to any tournament since 1970. The hosts may wish to give up the tournament if this happens...

 

[gkmacca]

INTERVIEWER: So, have you recovered from that gaffe against Man City?

MIGNOLET: I'm not Simon Mignolet. I'm just a sad Scottish bloke who never gets anything right.

INTERVIEWER: You're David Moyes??

 

[Nir.Barak]

Ha, it seems like this Valcke guy is one of the corrupt figures up there and he spillt the beans either because he's thick or he just doesn't give a shit about anyone anymore and now this Boyce lad, who is just some puppet the executives at fifa occupy to make it seem like there are actual commities and everything is very professional, isn't even aware of the corruption up there, tries to defend the procces while in truth everything is decided ahead of time in small rooms with a little money under the table.

 

[Frogfish]

...... with a little money under the table.

LITTLE ?!

 

[Red Astaire]

I never understood why no one really kicked off about the fact Qatar got it in the first place. It's so obviously a corrupt and cash motivated decision. In a way it's almost quite funny. One thing is for sure there are are some FIFA execs who are going to retire early because of it. I wish I was a FIFA executive...........

 

[Markeh]

Valcke's comments lead to more World Cup 2022 confusion

By Gabriele Marcotti | January 8, 2014 10:25:00 AM PST
Sometimes you wonder if the drip-drip of news coming out of FIFA is coordinated or if you really have a bunch of different people expressing opinions. Nothing wrong with either scenario, mind you.

The first is the “corporate/on message” approach whereby everybody within the same organization spouts the party line, while the second is one where we’re all grown-ups and we all make different predictions and give different opinions about what might happen.

With really clever, devious organizations, the former method of communication is used while it is made to seem as if it’s the latter. I’m not sure FIFA is one of those entities.

- FIFA: No decision made
- World Cup Daily

I'm guessing that when you get statements like the one Jerome Valcke made on Wednesday -- the FIFA general secretary told a French radio station that he “thinks” the 2022 World Cup will be between Nov. 15 and Jan. 15, i.e., in the Qatari winter -- he’s simply speaking his mind about what he suspects might happen. (Or better yet, what he wants the world to believe he thinks might happen.)

First of all, while many have treated Valcke’s words as if he said the World Cup will DEFINITELY be in winter, he didn’t do that. He said “I think.” FIFA emphasized this is in a statement later in the day, reiterating that Valcke was simply stating an opinion.

What he thinks, of course, could turn out to be wrong, mainly because he won’t be the one making the decision.

FIFA’s Executive Committee -- these guys -- will be making the decision in December this year, according to Valcke’s boss, FIFA president Sepp Blatter. And before you think the ExCo is simply a collection of Blatter cronies who fall in line with their leader, consider the fact that he wanted them to award 2022 to the United States and instead the ExCo went for Qatar.

Plus, there’s always the “nuclear option” that I’ve written about before. That is, FIFA concludes that the 2022 bidding process was irregular and simply moves the whole affair somewhere else. It would upset Qatar, obviously, but it would also make Blatter a hero to some. (And it would also be a common-sense solution, not that it matters too much.)

That said, let’s assume Valcke is right. Let’s take it for granted that he has the pulse of the situation to the point that he can predict which way the ExCo vote will go in 11 months’ time, despite the fact that FIFA’s consultations with World Cup stakeholders -- the sponsors and TV companies who expected a summer World Cup and may consider legal action if it’s held in the winter without some sort of settlement -- haven’t yet taken place.

If the World Cup is to be held in Qatar, the only logical solution is NOT having it in anywhere near the summer. That much is obvious. So that basically means November to March, the five months out of the year when it’s manageable.

You need roughly eight weeks, counting the tournament itself and the three weeks of preparation time beforehand, when teams assemble in training camps and play friendlies.

So which eight-week period do you choose? February and March are a no-go because the same TV companies who bid for the World Cup also bid for the Winter Olympics, and while the dates have not yet been set, it’s likely that the 2022 event will be in February, as it is this year in Sochi. That leaves November to January, which is Valcke’s point.

It means having a World Cup during the holiday season for much of the world. It means leagues taking two months off in the middle of the season. It means disrupting the Champions League calendar (but not massively).

If you have to have a World Cup in Qatar, it’s the logical solution. And evidently, that was what Valcke was driving at.

Beyond that, on this occasion at least, it seems like a case of Valcke not realizing that folks see him as the “voice of FIFA” with media organizations jumping the gun and having trouble understanding there is a difference between “I think” (or in this case, “Je pense”) and “I know.”

Its a complete fuck up but strangely I'm seeing some appeal to watching the world cup at Christmas time.

 

[doctor_mac]

I never understood why no one really kicked off about the fact Qatar got it in the first place. It's so obviously a corrupt and cash motivated decision. In a way it's almost quite funny. One thing is for sure there are are some FIFA execs who are going to retire early because of it. I wish I was a FIFA executive...........

ThaBlackBaron kicked off.

 

[Spaghetti Legs]

When the inevitable happens and it gets announced that it will be held in the winter then what?

November through to December seems the only option, will the PL just cram in fixtures wherever possible before and between Jan - May, maybe go through to June?, the Euro leagues and their winter breaks, what happens with them?

European football to, the group stages will be going on in CL and EL won't they? plus the international teams are going to want at least 2/3 to prepare for the World Cup and play a couple of friendlies building up to it, so thats more time taken out the club calendar.

Fucking mess and a half, know its highly unlikely but they should just tell Qatar sorry but its not happening and give it to the Aussies or maybe the yanks who were runners up.

 

[StevieM]

Wait till you see what happens next - Platini will start suggesting the Football season moves to summer in the northern hemisphere.

 

[Wizardry]

Nahh, what's going to happen is that Platini is going to have a quiet word with Blatter. The head of FIFA finishes next year doesn't it - I'm pretty sure that's the end of Sepp's 10 year term. Platini has always wanted the top role - he'll work out a deal with Blatter which sees Qatar keep the World Cup and includes Platini taking the top job next election.

It's a lovely lose / lose situation for European and World Football. The insane decision to give the Cup to Qatar will be upheld and the ineptitude of Platini will run world football.

 

[Ossi]

I´m all for it. Watching football non-stop for 8 weeks in the winter sounds perfect.

 

[Rosco]

Nahh, what's going to happen is that Platini is going to have a quiet word with Blatter. The head of FIFA finishes next year doesn't it - I'm pretty sure that's the end of Sepp's 10 year term. Platini has always wanted the top role - he'll work out a deal with Blatter which sees Qatar keep the World Cup and includes Platini taking the top job next election.

It's a lovely lose / lose situation for European and World Football. The insane decision to give the Cup to Qatar will be upheld and the ineptitude of Platini will run world football.

You could be right, I couldn't think of any good reason why Platini would agree to this nonsense - that's the best explanation though.

 

[FoxForceFive]

Yep, but forcing a move to a summer season is the end game.

I'm convinced of it, last time it was mooted there were cries from all over Europe whilst we were told we had to think of other nations & 'stop being selfish'. Ironic consider they want to move it so they can break into the US market more easily.

This forces Europe to have, what, 7 or 8 weeks out of the game mid season for three season's.

I suspect the arguments for a summer season will follow this year's world cup.