Football
ESPN staff 9y

Qatar World Cup: November-December plan upsets PL chief

Premier League chief Richard Scudamore is unhappy with the decision to recommend that the 2022 Qatar World Cup is played in November and December.

Scudamore, a member of the FIFA task force that made the decision, is reported to have said there was "no real discussion" at the Doha meeting at which the recommendation was backed.

He said he felt the November and December dates would protect the Champions League from disruption but would not do the same for European domestic leagues.

"Very disappointed -- that's the word, I think, on behalf of all the European leagues and particularly the European clubs who provide most of the players for this World Cup," Scudamore added.

He said he felt "let down" by UEFA, European football's governing body, which has accepted a switch to a winter World Cup.

ITV reporter Steve Scott tweeted that Scudamore said: "It looks like nobody else is giving much up, even UEFA, who have let us down a little. The Champions League can start and carry on as always."

Although the recommendation still has to be ratified when FIFA's executive committee meets in Zurich next month, it is unlikely that it will not be supported.

FA chairman Greg Dyke said November-December proposal was "the best of the bad options" but warned that the disruption it would cause to domestic football calendars would be considerable.

He said the best option "would be not to hold it [the World Cup] in Qatar," PA Sport reported, but added: "We are now beyond that so November-December would seem to be the best of the bad options.

"It will clearly disrupt the whole football calendar, as it means club football stopping at the end of October.

"You might be able to keep the disruption to one season if you start earlier and end later, but it's going to be tough -- and unnecessary, because we would not be doing this if FIFA had done their work properly."

FIFA's technical report into the bidding countries for 2022 had warned of the dangers of playing in the heat of the summer, but the executive committee voting for the country.

And Dyke said: "This is something FIFA brought on itself by not reading the report of the safety inspector.

"It tells you the technical assessment was not being used as the basis for the decision."

Meanwhile, Britain's FIFA vice-president Jim Boyce has voiced his opposition to any move to hold the 2022 World Cup final as late as Dec. 23.

Boyce, from Northern Ireland, said moving the World Cup to the winter was a "common sense" but that a Dec.23 final would be too close to Christmas and the traditional festive matches.

He told PA Sport: "I would like it a week earlier, but I want to wait until the FIFA executive committee meeting to hear all the details about the dates.

"I welcome the fact all the stakeholders have been involved, although this is not going to please everyone.

"It will cause a lot of disruption -- but it is eight years away, and people should have enough time to make it work."

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