By Andrew Warshaw
September 23 – UEFA’s recently appointed executive committee member, David Gill, says every effort will be made to find a compromise that suits all parties over an alternative date if the 2022 Qatar World Cup is moved from summer.
As vice-chairman of the English Football Association and still a director of Manchester United where, until recently, he was chief executive, Gill is emerging as one of UEFA’s most influential figures, given his experience in all areas of football administration.
Gill was in Dubrovnik last week attending a series of key Uefa meetings and has been quick to counter the idea that switching the 2022 World Cup to the northern hemisphere winter will disrupt three league seasons.
“It needs to be limited to a one-season impact,” Gill told BBC Radio. “I know the Premier League has talked about it impacting on three seasons but I believe it can be sorted to impact on only one.”
FIFA is expected to agree in principle to alter the timing of 2022 at an executive committee meeting in Zurich on 3 and 4 October. Gill played down any suggestion that a firm decision had been reached by UEFA members who comprise 10 of the 22 FIFA exco members.
“No dates were discussed at the meeting (in Dubrovnik). What happened was that the 54 association presidents decided that they weren’t against playing the World Cup in the winter – and that was all that was decided.
“The position was ratified by the UEFA executive committee and, at the upcoming FIFA executive committee in early October, no doubt it will be discussed there. It’s up to FIFA.
“The important message out of UEFA was that no decision on dates is to be made at this time. The work has to be done and has to involve all stakeholders within the game, whether associations, clubs, players, leagues etc. It’s only through that work that the final decision can be made.”
Gill re-iterated that UEFA will not be proposing taking the World Cup away from Qatar. Instead, he said, it was all about compromise involving everyone – including FIFA and UEFA.
“Maybe FIFA has to reduce the player call-up period, the (English) FA may have to give up [FA Cup] replays in a particular season, clubs may have to forgo lucrative pre-season tours to fit into a crowded calendar.
“It’s not ideal because the World Cup has been a traditional part of the calendar in the summer and a move, if it is to be made, has to involve compromise from all parties. For example, UEFA may have to move the Champions League round of 16 from four weeks to two weeks. If everyone goes in with that attitude I’m sure you can come up with a solution which is acceptable to everyone.
“But it cannot be foisted upon football, saying: ‘That’s it, get on with it.’ If people are open-minded . . . we can come up with a solution.”
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