Premier League managers blast winter World Cup
FIFA president Sepp Blatter is considering the possibility of holding the World Cup in Qatar during the winter months, much to the surprise of many managers in the Premier League.
Blatter says he expects that the 2022 World Cup will be held in December or January, prompting a wave of criticism from all corners of the footballing world.
Many questioned FIFA’s decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar in the first place. The temperatures in the country often rise to above 40 degrees Celsius in the summer, hardly ideal playing conditions. Now that the deal is set in stone, it seems that
Blatter is trying to limit the damage to FIFA’s credibility.
Speaking on the difficulty of hosting the tournament in such challenging conditions, the FIFA president said, “I expect it (the World Cup) will be held in the winter. We have time to look at this question, it is 11 years away, but we must decide the most
adequate period for a successful World Cup, which means January or the end of the year. We have to protect the players.”
Blatter’s comments have drawn renewed criticism, and many managers are questioning the FIFA president’s decision.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said, “It will be chaotic. Certainly it would create many problems between clubs and countries, and countries and FIFA. It looks like an idea that has come out of nowhere.”
Spurs manager Harry Redknapp also ridiculed the idea, while Sunderland boss Steve Bruce was left wondering how the leagues around the world would be affected by the change.
However, Fulham manager Mark Hughes was a bit more optimistic, saying, “There must have been some thought gone into it or they would not have awarded the World Cup to Qatar in the first place. It's going to be a huge change that year and how it impacts on
the Premier League we won't know until it actually happens.”
There is still a long time before the 2022 World Cup gets underway, giving http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Qatar-c2986 ample time to prepare for the tournament. However, the decision to award the Middle Eastern country with the biggest tournament in the world has prompted many to question about
Sepp Blatter’s position as, what is essentially, head of world football.
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