By Andrew Warshaw
July 19 – As expected, England’s Premier League has wasted no time criticising proposals to move the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to the winter, slamming the idea as “neither workable nor desirable”.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter says a decision could be taken as early as October even though relocating tournament would pose huge complications for Europe’s domestic competitions. UEFA president Michel Platini says one way of getting round the problem is for a month-long winter break but the Premier League says it would be far too disruptive. ”We are opposed to the concept of a winter World Cup for very obvious practical reasons that would impact on all of European domestic football,” a spokesman told Press Association.
The decision by FIFA’s executive committee to pick Qatar came despite an official inspection team giving the Gulf state a “high risk” rating – the only bidding country to receive that category – warning that the heat was “a potential health risk for players, officials, the FIFA family and spectators”.
On Wednesday Blatter re-iterated his position, first made on his Middle Eastern trip last week, saying that he felt the tournament could not take place in the summer, a position also supported by the international players’ union FIFPro.
The Premier League has long opposed any such move on the grounds it will cause major disruption to three domestic seasons – the 2021-22 season and the ones either side – as well as impacting on broadcasting contracts.
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