Winter World Cup Adds Salt To The Wound

Sepp Blatter has come out and explained the rationale behind the push to host the 2022 World Cup in the months of January and February. Players would be protected as the conditions would be far more playable than in the months of June and July—when the tournament is traditionally held.
The 2011 Asian Cup is being played out this month, and the conditions have been more than desirable for playing the beautiful game. However, the World Cup involves far more parties than the regional AFC tournament.
Two points from CNN World Sport's media reaction stand out to me:

- Mr. Rynecki's comments point to the biggest issue—scheduling. He also is quite right in asserting FIFA acting like an owner giving way too many treats to his/her dog.
- 79% of World Sport readers believe FIFA made the wrong call in electing Qatar as hosts

I understand Mr. Ozalp's comment all too well. I enjoy the sport way too much to boycott watching FIFA tournaments, but for now, the conversation has plenty of maturing and consideration still to come.

December 2, 2010

FIFA president Sepp Blatter and the committee announced on December 2, 2010 the winning bids for World Cups 2018 and 2022. As the anxious bidding committees sat together in FIFA's Zurich convention center like film crews at the Oscars, the results were, to put it bluntly, odd and unexpected. David Beckham and all of England collectively whined, Bill Clinton, Drew Carey and the hodgepodge American bid committee were all left in obligatory applause while the Russians and the Qataris burst with delight. The Russian victory was only a mild surprise—they have top-notch stadium, financial security (Roman Abramovich, that's all you need to say), and Andrei Arshavin. Qatar? Well, they have oil, nice hotels, and camel. Their footballing tradition is in its fetal stage, and to FIFA, it was a vote nodding their heads at promise and potential rather than proven ability and tradition.