FIFA basically admits theyve dropped the ball...

[~Utah]

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[TD="class: cnnCol0"][h=1]Sepp Blatter to ask committee to move Qatar World Cup to winter[/h][/TD]
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FIFA President Sepp Blatter has refused to say if he backed Qatar's successful bid for the World Cup.​

Stuart Franklin/FIFA via Getty Images​

GOING, Austria (AP) -- FIFA President Sepp Blatter plans to ask the governing body's executive committee to consider moving the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to the winter in order to avoid the searing summer heat.
"If this World Cup is to become a party for the people, you can't play football in the summer,'' Blatter said Wednesday. "You can cool down the stadiums but you can't cool down the whole country.''
Despite health concerns included in an official report before the vote, the FIFA executive committee opted for the tiny emirate's bid in 2010. Blatter has repeatedly refused to say if he backed Qatar, which can have temperatures of 50 degrees C (122 degrees F) during the summer.
In May, Blatter said in an interview with a French newspaper it would be "not rational and reasonable'' to stage the first World Cup in the Middle East in the summertime.
Moving the tournament to the winter would have a major impact on the schedule of European football leagues, which would have to change things for at least one season.
"There is still enough time,'' Blatter said. "I will bring this up to the executive committee.''
Air-conditioned stadiums to beat the heat were a defining theme of Qatar's bid, but the cooling technology only resolves the problem in venues for players, fans and officials.
"We have to protect our partners, our commercial partners, our TV partners. We have to be tough on this,'' said Blatter, who spoke during a two-day conference on sports, media and economy set up by German great Franz Beckenbauer in Austria.
The head of the local organizing committee, Hassan Al-Thawadi, said Qatar bid for a tournament in the summer but left the option open of a possible switch to another time of the year.
"It there is a wish from the football community to move the World Cup to the winter, we are open for it,'' said Al-Thawadi, who spoke to the conference through a live video connection.







Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/news/20130717/qatar-world-cup-winter-2022.ap/#ixzz2ZJt23FLW

 

[Toronto_Mike]

hahah idiots amidst controversy even prior to the selection these goof balls really fucked it up

 

[Schrute]

There is no doubt that Qatar has experienced some recent wealth and modernization. Doha appears to be a beautiful city and is one of the cities in the middle east that I would like to visit one day. That said, this was as bad of a decision as I've ever seen. Qatar has never hosted an international sporting event of significance. The World Cup isn't a good trial run event. Where are they going to host games other than Doha that allows for easy and safe travel for fans? It's going to be miserably hot, especially outside of Doha, the only city capable of hosting such large crowds.

I wouldn't rule out the US as the eventual host

 

[ClubDirt]

you guys are too hard on fifa. based on that article there are two things i just don't think you could expect them to know.

1. it gets hot in the middle east in the summer and

2. air conditioning the stadiums doesn't seem to help cool down everything outside of the stadiums.

live and learn.

 

[braves]

Lol, they forgot about the heat when they were getting bribed with millions of dollars.

 

[braves]

Looks like we are headed to a November world cup

 

[J Galt]

I called this shit when it was announced, but I thought the would just wind up moving it somewhere else all together. The WC should be in Europe 95% of the time and the US the other 5%, they are easy and safe destinations who have the capacity and proof points to host these events. What a joke.

 

[braves]

100% agree jgalt

 

[braves]

Can the big leagues do anything? Aren't they forced to release players to their national team for a world cup?

 

[dylanphan]

We're talking about an event that is nearly a decade away.
Perhaps they can take an extended break during WC 2022, sort of like the NHL does with the Olympics.

 

[Toronto_Mike]

I called this shit when it was announced, but I thought the would just wind up moving it somewhere else all together. The WC should be in Europe 95% of the time and the US the other 5%, they are easy and safe destinations who have the capacity and proof points to host these events. What a joke.

ummm you forgot Asia/Australia

China/Korea/Japan/Australia are more than capable of hosting something like this

 

[Toronto_Mike]

We're talking about an event that is nearly a decade away.
Perhaps they can take an extended break during WC 2022, sort of like the NHL does with the Olympics.

club owners will not be too happy.
it's easy for NHL because it's one collective group, but when this is a global game with the impact of global teams you can just have all these owners agree on one thing

 

[dylanphan]

Most major leagues already have mini-international breaks to allow players rest and go on national duty. This would just be an extension of such. Not a big deal at all, imho.
Plus, they have 9 fucking years to hammer out the details.

 

[braves]

This would be close to two months, with about 3 weeks before to train with the national teams..they are going have to shorten the season

 

[J Galt]

ummm you forgot Asia/Australia

China/Korea/Japan/Australia are more than capable of hosting something like this

Except nobody from Europe wants to fly all the way the fuck out there and they are the ones attending the WC for the most part. Keep it simple, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, England, Netherlands, Sweden, and Greece. Every once in while let a couple of the shitbird countries like Austria and Belgium share it. Give it to the US once every 25 years. Done and done. We love over complicating things when it comes to shit like this.

 

[Toronto_Mike]

Most major leagues already have mini-international breaks to allow players rest and go on national duty. This would just be an extension of such. Not a big deal at all, imho.
Plus, they have 9 fucking years to hammer out the details.

"Most" leagues and it is used for REST not for others to play. Big difference.
It is a big deal you comparing this to what the NHL has done is completely different, because the NHL owners are all under one umbrella, good luck trying to get all the footballing federations of the nations participating to agree to this

 

[Toronto_Mike]

Except nobody from Europe wants to fly all the way the fuck out there and they are the ones attending the WC for the most part. Keep it simple, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, England, Netherlands, Sweden, and Greece. Every once in while let a couple of the shitbird countries like Austria and Belgium share it. Give it to the US once every 25 years. Done and done. We love over complicating things when it comes to shit like this.

Except the Asian market would generate $$$, and at the end of the day this is what the World Cup is about, not just competition it is to generate world wide branding and revenue. The 2002 Korea/Japan world cup was one of the most successful, since that time the domestic leagues have been extremely successful, whereas in the US and France prior, things haven't worked out, Germany will be Germany and well South Africa is a bomb.

Why would you suggest Greece, it's fucking 40+ polluted, economic crisis...besides a lot of those European nations other than England and Germany are financially fucked.

 

[Schrute]

Except nobody from Europe wants to fly all the way the fuck out there and they are the ones attending the WC for the most part. Keep it simple, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, England, Netherlands, Sweden, and Greece. Every once in while let a couple of the shitbird countries like Austria and Belgium share it. Give it to the US once every 25 years. Done and done. We love over complicating things when it comes to shit like this.

LOL, if you do that and give it to US 1/25 years then the US will host more than any other country. I'm all for rotating it but for christs sake Qatar should not be a host. Might as well give it to the Central African Republic

 

[SIGO]

I was shocked when Qatar got the world cup. Doha is kinda nice but nothing special. There are big ass malls and stadiums around the city. The oil money is very evident but it's still a middle eastern country. One of the princes is a big drag racing fan so he had a racing strip built in the desert. I went to one of these races and it's kind of surreal to be sitting in the stands with Arabs in keffiyeh scarfs. It's not a place to party and drink like you normally would at a WC. Just a bad place to have it. Like Galt said, the WC should be in Europe the vast majority of the time.

 

[Schrute]

I was shocked when Qatar got the world cup. Doha is kinda nice but nothing special. There are big ass malls and stadiums around the city. The oil money is very evident but it's still a middle eastern country. One of the princes is a big drag racing fan so he had a racing strip built in the desert. I went to one of these races and it's kind of surreal to be sitting in the stands with Arabs in keffiyeh scarfs. It's not a place to party and drink like you normally would at a WC. Just a bad place to have it. Like Galt said, the WC should be in Europe the vast majority of the time.

Damn dude you've been to Doha?

 

[J Galt]

Only because people love to travel to Greece, I'm not particularly partial to them but they handled the Euros and Olympics all right so the infrastructure is there.

 

[dylanphan]

"Most" leagues and it is used for REST not for others to play. Big difference.
It is a big deal you comparing this to what the NHL has done is completely different, because the NHL owners are all under one umbrella, good luck trying to get all the footballing federations of the nations participating to agree to this

Again, it's 9 years away. WTF cares?
I honestly don't know why you think it will be a huge deal to get them all to agree. Seriously, if you're an owner of a La Liga team why wouldn't you agree to break for a 6 week spell? Wtf are your options? I honestly think this is EXACTLY like the NHL - just a bit longer, and they have a decade to hammer it out. It's not the same league, sure, but the owners of the NHL still had to agree to the season break. Why wouldn't they? They could refuse, and then a) they would put out an inferior product which the fans wouldn't like and b) they would be DIRECTLY COMPETING AGAINST THE BIGGEST COMPETITION IN THE WORLD.
If you're a fan, and you have a choice, watch Sevilla play Celta Vigo orrrrrr let's say Spain is playing Netherlands in a group game, which game is going to get the television audience?
Not to mention the advertisers surely will put a bit of pressure on the leagues to fit the WC in.
It will get done. It was a better decision to move it to November then play in 120 degree temperatures.

 

[SIGO]

Damn dude you've been to Doha?

Yep. Don't get me wrong Doha is overall a nice place. It's safe and they've modernized well compared to other places. I even jet skied in the Persian Gulf lol

 

[Toronto_Mike]

Again, it's 9 years away. WTF cares?
I honestly don't know why you think it will be a huge deal to get them all to agree. Seriously, if you're an owner of a La Liga team why wouldn't you agree to break for a 6 week spell? Wtf are your options? I honestly think this is EXACTLY like the NHL - just a bit longer, and they have a decade to hammer it out. It's not the same league, sure, but the owners of the NHL still had to agree to the season break. Why wouldn't they? They could refuse, and then a) they would put out an inferior product which the fans wouldn't like and b) they would be DIRECTLY COMPETING AGAINST THE BIGGEST COMPETITION IN THE WORLD.
If you're a fan, and you have a choice, watch Sevilla play Celta Vigo orrrrrr let's say Spain is playing Netherlands in a group game, which game is going to get the television audience?
Not to mention the advertisers surely will put a bit of pressure on the leagues to fit the WC in.
It will get done. It was a better decision to move it to November then play in 120 degree temperatures.

Ummm do you realize how long it takes to plan all of these.
You still don't get it, there is division within the UEFA and you want them to all figure it out? Hahah my ass, Platini is notorious as being a dictator.
Again you fail to see the logistics of this change, you suggest that play during the winter break is a good idea for the clubs...the reason and sole purpose of the winter break was for rest..these players are assets, they get injured then who wins? No one, the club will lose money, the player loses money, the agent loses money.
Your proposed idea has no real logistical value.
I understand what you are saying and suggesting and it is definitely something to consider as in terms of timing it COULD work however, logistically this is such a global game that you will need to some how convince the associations of the world, the owners of the world to agree? No way.

 

[Toronto_Mike]

Only because people love to travel to Greece, I'm not particularly partial to them but they handled the Euros and Olympics all right so the infrastructure is there.

that was before their economic crisis and those events were partially to blame to their economic downfall.
sure it's nice to travel there, but so are other places in Central America and South America

 

[Pyppurs]

Jim Boyce wants Premier League to back 2022 winter World Cup

Comments (617)

Fifa vice-president Jim Boyce has called on the Premier League to drop their opposition to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar being switched to winter.
Fifa president Sepp Blatter said he is determined to move the tournament to avoid the intense summer heat.
But the Premier League are opposed to a move as it would cause major disruptions to the fixture calendar.
"A sensible decision has to be made," Boyce told the BBC. "I would appeal to people in the Premier League."

Hope the Premier League fucks with FIFA to get their shit straight.

 

[Schrute]

Hope the Premier League fucks with FIFA to get their shit straight.

Me too

You can't just accept a bribe and then alter how the entire sport is traditionally played. Someone in FIFA needs to pay but not at expense of the player's safety

 

[hugh613]

I'm confused... I thought the plans for those stadiums called for artificial "cloud cover" or was that just a sell job on the part of Qatar?

 

[Toronto_Mike]

Hope the Premier League fucks with FIFA to get their shit straight.

love it pretty much EPL saying no fucking way we playing in Qatar.
Just change the venue this is bullshit, it was already apparent that this was a fishy selection.

 

[Toronto_Mike]

I also don't see how this world cup would attract tourist, there is so much red tape in the Middle East, it's not party central!

 

[J Galt]

that was before their economic crisis and those events were partially to blame to their economic downfall.
sure it's nice to travel there, but so are other places in Central America and South America

well I don't care to argue, I think Greece is obviously a bit of a disaster but you are straying from the pont. Central and South America are not better options than any major city in Europe or the US. There's no point in taking a chance on a place like South Africa, Brazil, Qatar, or fuck even Russia. Why deal with the headaches leading up to the event? It's just not worth it by any measure, the game is already popular enough around the world. What it really comes down to was mentioned above; these places are winning these bids by bribing the folks making the decisions, pure and simple. Take that out of the equation and we aren't even having the conversation because no one is choosing Qatar over the US or England.

 

[twinkie13]

Yep. Don't get me wrong Doha is overall a nice place. It's safe and they've modernized well compared to other places. I even jet skied in the Persian Gulf lol

what aspect of the oil business you work in/for?

 

[twinkie13]

well I don't care to argue, I think Greece is obviously a bit of a disaster but you are straying from the pont. Central and South America are not better options than any major city in Europe or the US. There's no point in taking a chance on a place like South Africa, Brazil, Qatar, or fuck even Russia. Why deal with the headaches leading up to the event? It's just not worth it by any measure, the game is already popular enough around the world. What it really comes down to was mentioned above; these places are winning these bids by bribing the folks making the decisions, pure and simple. Take that out of the equation and we aren't even having the conversation because no one is choosing Qatar over the US or England.

like having the Super Bowl in Jax(soccer guy dont shoot me!!!! you get what I mean)

 

[Toronto_Mike]

well I don't care to argue, I think Greece is obviously a bit of a disaster but you are straying from the pont. Central and South America are not better options than any major city in Europe or the US. There's no point in taking a chance on a place like South Africa, Brazil, Qatar, or fuck even Russia. Why deal with the headaches leading up to the event? It's just not worth it by any measure, the game is already popular enough around the world. What it really comes down to was mentioned above; these places are winning these bids by bribing the folks making the decisions, pure and simple. Take that out of the equation and we aren't even having the conversation because no one is choosing Qatar over the US or England.

I'm looking from an economic stand point because that's what it will ALWAYS come down to, how will it generate revenue. I mean it was already questionable to put it in Brasil, a lot of my Brasilian friends question having the Olympics and the WC as it will be either a financial benefit or total disaster and considering there was already questions about preparations being put behind it is scary. Just think, where is the money going? There's so much corruption these days it doesn't matter where you put it, there will be some sort of fishy business.

Again it's all about the money, there aren't many European nations that can afford to host. Racism still exists as it was apparent during Euro's so clearly Europe isn't always going to be clean.
What is the point calling something the World Cup if you can't play it elsewhere?

 

[Toronto_Mike]

http://www.umbc.edu/economics/wpapers/wp_10_121.pdf

Economic effects of a World Cup bid in the US
looks like they lost quite a bit in 1994

 

[KJ]

if the world cup was held in europe yr/in yr/out, it would cease to be anything more than the euro's with some extra invites

terrible idea, come on. just terrible...this is a world event that seems, at this point, to mean something, even bigger than the olympics

 

[J Galt]

if the world cup was held in europe yr/in yr/out, it would cease to be anything more than the euro's with some extra invites

terrible idea, come on. just terrible...this is a world event that seems, at this point, to mean something, even bigger than the olympics

this doesn't make a lick of sense. You wouldn't change how you structured the invites, so all the same types of teams (Euro, Concacaf, African, Asia, etc) would be there. How would that make it like the Euros other than the location being in Europe (or occasionally the US)?

mike you're talking about economics and we just had a WC in shitty South Africa, about to have a WC in corrupt and dangerous Brazil, then off to shady ass Russia, and then abomination Qatar. Do you really think that it wasn't an economic nightmare for SA with th labor issues and having to expedite construction? Same mess in Brazil. You guys aren't really thinking about this. No one actually wants to have a WC in those places other than maybe the people living there and the officials who are getting bribed for it to be had there.

 

[SIGO]

what aspect of the oil business you work in/for?

Not in the oil bidness. Was there with the military. Believe me Doha was paradise compared to Iraq

 

[Toronto_Mike]

Not in the oil bidness. Was there with the military. Believe me Doha was paradise compared to Iraq

haha amazing, wondering in terms of finances was it expensive to live there?

 

[SIGO]

haha amazing, wondering in terms of finances was it expensive to live there?

I can't really answer that because I wasn't there long enough to form an opinion. But I did notice that whenever I saw expats, who looked mostly looked European, they always seemed to have a nanny helping with their kids. So I assumed that they're either making bank or it's cheap enough there to have a full time nanny. But I assume it's a fairly expensive place to live. I was in Balad, Iraq at the time and flew to Qatar for a short period. I think I had a short layover in Kuwait but I don't remember. It was just a big contrast from Iraq. I need to look at the pictures I took to refresh my memory.

 

[reNew Orleans]

yeah greece handled the olympics alright

http://www.businessinsider.com/2004-athens-olympics-venues-abandoned-today-photos-2012-8?op=1

 

[Toronto_Mike]

and I rest my case, that's brutal

 

[reNew Orleans]

yup

 

[~Utah]

soccernomics is worth a read

 

[braves]

[h=1]11 Reasons Why The Qatar World Cup Is Going To Be A Disaster[/h]<cite class="byline vcard" style="font-style: normal; color: rgb(119, 119, 119); font-size: 12px; display: block; font-family: Georgia, Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; vertical-align: middle;">By Tony Manfred | Business Insider – <abbr title="2013-09-27T18:23:00Z" style="border: 0px;">10 hours ago</abbr></cite>

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Sean Gallup/Getty Images
Nine years before the 2022 Qatar World Cup, the country is being criticized for everything from logistics to bribery to human rights abuses.
It's a burgeoning disaster. Here's why.
1. They're allegedly using 'modern-day slavery' to build the infrastructure.The Guardian had a big report this week about the mistreatment of Nepalese migrant workers in Qatar. The workers — some of whom are working on the planned city which will host the 2022 World Cup final — accused their employers of withholding pay, forcing them to work in heat without water, making them live in squalid camps, and confiscating their passports to keep them from leaving the country.
From June to August, at least 44 Nepalese died in Qatar from working construction, the Guardian reports.

YouTube
2. It's 120 degrees in summer so they'll probably have to play the tournament in winter.During the bidding process, Qatar said they would host the event in summer. Now pretty mucheveryone has abandoned that idea, and FIFA could make it official soon.

Christof Koepsel/Getty Images
3. Homosexuality is illegal there.While Qatar has more liberal policies than many Middle Eastern countries, it still has strict anti-Yag laws. FIFA president Sepp Blatter recommended that Yag men who want to go to the World Cup should " refrain from any sexual activities."

Sean Gallup/Getty Images
4. There were widespread bribery allegations during the bidding process.An English lord said that bribery was everywhere when FIFA was deciding between England and Russia for the 2018 World Cup and Qatar and the United States for the 2022 World Cup. He said that one FIFA member asked the English for a knighthood, and another wanted a $2.5 million school built in his native Trinidad & Tobago.

Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
5. There are no stadiums. 6. Entire cities that are necessary to host the event don't exist yet.It will cost Qatar $220 billion to host the World Cup. They don't have the stadiums, hotels, or infrastructure to the host the event, so they have to build it all from scratch before 2022. By comparison, it cost South Africa $3.5 billion.
The city that will host the final, Lusail City, doesn't exist yet.

Handout/Getty Images
7. The futuristic air-conditioned stadiums that Qatar promised to build aren't actually possible.Qatar promised to build space-age stadiums that had unprecedented cooling technology so that the event could be held during the summer. But after they won the bid, they scrapped that plan.According to ESPN, the architecture firm that will build the stadium said "the system is too expensive and 'notoriously unsustainable' for the environment when used on a large scale."

Handout/Getty Images


8. Playing it in winter will totally screw up the European leagues.For many of these huge global stars, the club matters more than the country. While the World Cup is a huge event, postponing the English, Spanish, and Italian leagues will be a huge headache for everyone involved.

UEFA
9. FIFA will have to renegotiate all the TV contracts.FIFA is holding secret talks with television networks from across the world in case the World Cup is moved to the winter, the Telegraph reports. Fox paid a record $425 million for the next two tournaments under the assumption that it would be played in summer and not clash with the NFL.

Harold Cunningham/Getty Images
10. It'll get drowned out by football in America.The World Cup is the only time when mainstream America pays attention to soccer. If it has to compete with the NFL it'd be a disaster, especially if it's held in January and goes up against the playoffs.

Andy Lyons/Getty Images
11. They probably won't sell beer in the stadiums.There are select hotels and bars in Doha where you're allowed to drink. But you can't have alcohol or be drunk in public. It will be the most sober World Cup ever.

Sean Gallup/Getty Images

 

[braves]

no beer

:crying:

 

[braves]

4. There were widespread bribery allegations during the bidding process.An English lord said that bribery was everywhere when FIFA was deciding between England and Russia for the 2018 World Cup and Qatar and the United States for the 2022 World Cup. He said that one FIFA member asked the English for a knighthood, and another wanted a $2.5 million school built in his native Trinidad & Tobago.


No way, bribery?, i cannot believe that

 

[orangemonk]

Why don't they scrap Qatar ?

 

[braves]

Why don't they scrap Qatar ?

That what I was thinking OM

scrap it, and repay them the bidding money , and anything they have spent on construction so far.

I think the downside is you would piss of an entire region that is very wealthy...

But, they can't hold a world cup in the summer there.

 

[KJ]

i don't see any issues here, where are your concerns?