Ugh - Get ready for a winter World Cup. What a farce.

First my apologies for being lax in 2015 to publishing some posts. I need to get back to ranting about the beautiful game! Here is a great reason to spew some anger - looks as if the Qatar 2022 World Cup will be held in the winter - click here for article. What???

Granted the reasons for this are obvious. It is too *&$%@# hot in the summer in Qatar! But guess what, we knew that before the nation was selected to host the tournament. I do not need to rehash my feelings towards this selection. From the fact the nation has zero soccer heritage, to the heat, to the ability to handle such a massive sporting event. This has been nothing short of a prime example why clowns like Sepp Blatter is seen as corrupt and a weasel. Qatar 2022 is all about money. The money FIFA hopes to get from the oil rich nation as well as the fat envelopes that most certainly found their way into Sepp and his cronies' pockets. I can only imagine what the clubs are going to say about this brilliant decision.  Holding the World Cup during November and December is going to fall right in the middle of club seasons, Champions League group stage games and countless national cup ties. The major European leagues, other than England, take a break end of the year. So what does the international duty mean for this? Will FIFA expect club seasons to continue minus the international players, as they do during the African Cup of Nations? Ask Manchester City how they felt about now having Yaya during that time....Clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United, PSG, Chelsea, Bayern Munich would be fielding their youth teams! Granted that might make the mid-tier clubs happy. But seriously, this is beyond asinine.

If and when this becomes a reality, expect the majority of clubs to not just complain but challenge having to allow their players to go to the World Cup.  The mess that is Qatar 2022 is only getting worse. The sad part is the likes of Platini did not help by voting this in. Alas, Platoche is falling under the bad influence of global football's idiotic management.

Platoch, say it ain't so - Rumors continue to swirl with Qatar 2022 World Cup

The whole Qatar World Cup 2022 debacle continues. And this blog has always contended that it was a catastrophic mistake to allow a tiny nation, with little footballing pedigree, in one of the most inhospitable weather locations to host one of the most important global sporting event. The controversy only gets worse with reports that the president of the UEFA - Michel Platini - is suspected of being illegally swayed by Bin Hammam to vote for Qatar.

My admiration for Platini is also no secret. He was my childhood footy hero. I remember him dominating the 1984 European Cup, scoring a ridiculous amount of goals - 9. Putting away two hat tricks, against Belgium and Yugoslavia. As well as hitting the winning goal versus Portugal in Marseilles in the dying minutes of extra time to go to the finals.



He also has done some wonderful things post playing career - a short lived stint as manager of Les Bleus. Undefeated in qualification for the 1992 Euros, but playing poorly in the tournament. Platini was instrumental in getting France to host the World Cup in 1998 and influential in getting the Euros there in 2016. His efforts with financial fair play have not been perfect but a move in the right direction as have his emphasis on getting greater participation from more nations in the Champions League.

Of course I do not agree with everything he has lobbied for. I do not believe he is right with his ideas around expansion of the Euros, big mistake. Nor his idea of having multiple cities host the Euro championships or even the crazy idea of inviting a non-European nation to the tournament...huh???

The main accuser is the Daily Telegraph - click here for article. Based on the article there is a trail of meetings prior to the final vote for the World Cup where Platini met with Bin Hammam, at a private breakfast. As well as meetings with the then French President - Sarkozy. Does this mean that Platini took a bribe to vote for Qatar? That is a very dangerous leap to make. And one has to judge the source. It is no secret that there is no love lost between the british press and Platini. Yes there seems some sketchiness that Platini's son Laurent was given a job as head of a Burrda a Qatar sports company. But getting someone a job is far from the accusations of large sums of money being given to influence votes. I am sure that every nation that is bidding for the tournament sends representatives to lobby influential voters. So let us not act as if these types of meetings are not happening all the time - just look at any Olympic bid...Socchi anyone?

If there emerges some more nefarious information that comes out about these meetings, then shame on Platini. And if there is more damaging information that comes out, I would be the first to say Platoch would need to step down. However, let's not allow a witch hunt by the British press be accepted as fact.

Regardless of how you look at it, the Qatar World Cup bid remains embroiled in controversy. Something that is never too far away from anything Sepp Blatter is associated with.  I am hoping that somehow the bidding process will become so tainted that Blatter has no choice but to reopen the bidding process. The Qatar World Cup has been a disaster...8 years before the games are even scheduled to be played! There are no shortage of people, myself included, that is looking for any loop hole to find a way to take the tournament out of Qatar and give it to a more legitimate host.

And the drama continues.

Winter World Cup coming...the farce that is the Qatar world cup continues

The latest from the "geniuses" that govern world football is that the World Cup in 2022 that was controversially awarded to Qatar will be played in the...winter. Really? I have ranted about this in the past, and stories such as moving it back to the winter only add to my anger. The very fact the tournament was awarded to the tiny middle eastern nation was a farce to begin with. Why?

• Temperature issues - summer time in Qatar is not conducive to playing 90 minutes of international football and not suffering from heat stroke or worse.
• Host nation pedigree - I realize that the World Cup was award to a nation like South Africa which is better known for rugby than football, they also became the first host to not emerge from the group stages. Care to guess where Qatar is ranked in the current FIFA world rankings? 111th. Even South Africa who I just called out is ranked higher at 67. Farce.
• Other viable candidates - like the United States...got snubbed. Really? Other candidates such as Australia would have been better for the games. When Qatar first announced it was a candidate I did not even give it a second thought, there was no way this tiny nation would get the World Cup, an Olympic game? Sure, that comes down to, in essence, one city being able to host the event.

I blame all those involved, including the likes of Platini and especially that joke of a president Sepp Blatter. We all know why the tournament found its way to Qatar - money. Plain and simple. Who knows how much each federation and their leaders lined their pockets with, but clearly they made off like bandits. Blatter will promote how he has expanded the game and the reach but all he has done is continued to demonstrate what a corrupt and unscrupulous individual he is. I am still holding out hope that somehow the tournament has to be moved to some other venue, similar to what happened in 1986 and the Mexico world cup (it was originally suppose to be in Columbia). Alas I fear the morons that run global football will force a winter world cup, in a nation that does not deserve to host the games to start with.

A complete FARCE

Qatar World Cup - the debacle continues

The rumors continue to swirl that the World Cup in 2022 will be played in the winter. Due to the high heat of the middle east during the summer months. Seriously? This continues to show what a farce the entire World Cup in Qatar has been. The potential for extreme heat continues to haunt the World Cup venue. Hmmm, have UEFA and FIFA only now realized that it gets hot in Qatar? Have none of the governing body looked at a weather report or better yet, been in Qatar during the summer months?

This once again speaks to the money grabbing and corruption that is rampant in international soccer. There is no way that Qatar should have been a)allowed to bid for the World Cup b)won the bid. I am not against having the World Cup in new venues...but there are some places that are not feasible. Due to weather issues, geography, size of nation and standing in the international football landscape. These should and do play factors in being able to host such a tournament. All these factors should have ruled out Qatar from the start. Alas, money trumped common sense.

Now UEFA and FIFA are paying for the mockery they made of the process. Those that will really pay are the players and fans that might have to deal with oppressive heat in 2022.

Hazard to PSG....really? Seriously? Let's take a deep breath and think about this...

Wow...the latest rumor is that PSG is preparing a bid of 31.5m Euros and Erding for the young winger. The very fact that PSG is rumored to be in the chase for the player is exciting, yet I remain cautious. Clearly the new majority owners of PSG are willing to splash the cash around, or at least give that impression. Let us not forget that 31.5m Euros + Erding (valued at 10m Euros) is in the same neighborhood as the rumored 41m Euro transfer fee from Barcelona to Arsenal for Cesc. But I am concerned about a few areas:

• Where is this money coming from? The true source of Qatar backers is still a bit of a mystery. Are they associated with the royal family or have some of their funds under management? 
• Is there a long term plan for PSG or are we seeing a mini-Manchester City? Granted MCFC will be playing Champions League next season and won the FA Cup, but let us see how things look in Manchester in 5 seasons.
• Who is running footballing operations at PSG? With the new ownership in place I am a bit confused as to where the direction is coming. Kombouare remains the manager, but no one believes his tenure will be long. So who is there to make some of the player decisions? Rumor is Hazard was flown to Qatar to meet with the investors...but who was there from PSG sporting side?

Maybe I should just sit back and enjoy this while it lasts, it cannot be any worse than the dysfunctional club I am used to! I do hope that there is a long term plan, a plan that calls for sound sporting and business decisions. While the recent run at Manchester City might excite some, I do not necessarily want to become the next Leeds United, something that might strike ManCity if their investors get bored with their footballing toy! I realize that what happened to Leeds was not exactly the same, but their run to the Champions League semis was followed by undisciplined spending based on expected revenue streams that were not tenable.

So PSG, go get Hazard if you can, that would be a coupe, but promise me that you have a plan and a vision and aren't just buying to make headlines!

News bulletin - Qatar World Cup back to the summer...much to do about nothing

So the fearless leader of FIFA has once again flip flopped and is now saying, as we knew all along, is going to be held in the summer! Wow, how novel the World Cup to be played when it is suppose to be played. The fact we have dragged on this long waffling back and forth as to whether or not the tournament would be moved to the winter has been a monumental waste of time and effort. All this has done is demonstrate how ridiculous the awarding of the World Cup to Qatar is to start with. I have gone over this in prior posts so will not rehash my complaining...but I have to let out another sigh and need to scratch my head once again as to why the World Cup has been awarded to a nation who has little football pedigree and is really not a nation ready to host such an important sporting event.

Then again I guess petro-dollars trumps worthy bids any given day.

Qatar 2022 - let the circus continue!!!

Lalalalala I don't want to listen...

Oh my...more  controversy over the awarding of Qatar 2022. The continues to be buzz around moving the event to the winter and now calls to have more nations host the tournament, that coming from Platini. Blatter has stated that there is a greater than 50% chance the tournament will be held in the winter! He claims that the European leagues already have a winter break so...hey no problem let's stick a major sporting event during that break! Makes perfect sense to me. Clearly there are chinks in the armor when it comes to why Qatar should host the World Cup.

Even Blatter has made another zinger of a statement with regards to how his own organization votes for who gets the World Cup - "But you have a college of voters who vote more with their heart than they vote with their head." Sigh...maybe he should have added: and you have a Swiss who thinks with his wallet and not his brain. Clearly he continues to demonstrate the fact he is not of sane mind to run the  governing body that oversees the most popular sport in the world.

See the Swiss' interview and his typical "dancing" around the issues - click here.

If I were the US or Australia, I would quietly make sure my infrastructure is ready for when FIFA comes crawling back to them to host the 2022 World Cup. Such a farce...Blatter must go.

Qatar 2022 - this is getting out of hand - more calls for Winter World Cup

Wow, I cannot believe this, but another voice to play the World Cup in the winter, this time from the player's union. This circus has spun completely out of control. Based on the article, Qatar's own citizens try to leave during the summer for cooler climates. Tourists are advised NOT to travel to the Middle East nation during the summer. Um, why were none of these issues raised during the bidding process? I know that Houston can get a little toasty in the summer, but you can still have some footie games there. Australia...is in the southern hemisphere so no real concern over heat during the summer! This continues to baffle me.

So the talk is to move the World Cup to the winter...and this will not disrupt clubs and country how? A couple of points. All domestic leagues have a winter break, other than the EPL. Of course those breaks tend to be 2 weeks...not 2 months. Second, most nations that participate in the World Cup actually need the time between end of qualifiers and the actual start of the World Cup to play friendlies, train and get ready for the tournament. This process, alone, tends to take at least 4 to 6 weeks. That time falls at the end of domestic seasons, not smack dab in the middle of league play. Speaking of qualifiers, those end in November...oh yeah. Look at how disruptive the African Cup of Nations is to clubs and now multiply that by 10! Clubs already grudging allow their players to participate in that tournament...will clubs release their players for a World Cup???

The farce that is the 2022 World Cup continues. One can only hope that in the very near future someone comes to their senses and finds some loophole in the Qatar bid and awards it to one of the other bidders who is more deserving and does not pose the myriad of problems that the Middle Eastern nation poses. Let us hope.

Maybe Sepp needs a muzzle...now insulting another group of society...

Ah Sepp...you give us the first African World Cup and now the the first one in the Middle East...of course no homosexuals are really welcome. Nice job Blatter. Love to see the leader of FIFA showing off more insensitivity, for someone who has tried to host World Cups in different regions under the guise of being more "inclusive" then decides to make comments about the stance towards homosexuality in Qatar...demonstrates once again that the Swiss leader of FIFA is a bit of a moron. Shocking.

Winter World Cup...another call for Qatar 2022 to become the winter World Cup

Another voice in the every growing rumble that is "Qatar 2022, the First Winter World Cup"...The Jordian Prince Ali, stating the obvious - IT IS VERY VERY HOT IN THE SUMMER IN THE MIDDLE EAST...not really good footballing weather. Temperatures can reach 122 degrees F...that is toasty. Even with the supposed air conditioned fields and hopefully practice facilities, the searing heat will remain a problem for players, managers, officials and fans. But I guess the lure of petro-dollars are too appealing to FIFA and the welfare of the teams and fans be damn!

Sigh.

Qatar 2022, let the surreal continue

It has been over a week since FIFA dropped another bombshell on the world of football - Qatar 2022. I think the arguments over the merit of the Russian victory for 2018 have more to do with how the voting occurred in particular how favorite England was quickly eliminated (the Holland-Belgium bid received 4 first round votes and then only 2 in the next round, clearly voters looked to prevent England from winning) than whether or not Russia deserved the tournament. I realize that the corruption as well as racism has been written about at length, much of which from the English press, but some of this sounds more like sour grapes.

Qatar fans have something to cheer about

However the Qatar 2022 victory still baffles me. While I enjoyed watching Alexi Lalas and Gulati turning pale on the announcement, I remain shocked by the decision of going to Qatar. Like I said in my post, there is nothing NOTHING other than petro-dollars that make sense for bringing a World Cup to a nation the geographic size of the Fakland Islands, who have qualified for as many World Cups as the Fakland Island team has....none. Now there are suggestions to play the tournament in the winter, to avoid the 130F temperatures in Qatar. Winter? Really??? Now maybe that would force the EPL to adopt a winter break, but seriously?? Winter?  Just shocking.

Blatter continues to cover himself in embarrassment, not that he is aware of it. He babbles about bringing football to the Middle East, expanding the reach of football yaddy yaddy yadda. I give him some credit for seeing the marketing potential of moving the tournament to different locations, but how about starting with locations that make sense - Australia anyone? Blatter and FIFA have otherwise lost the plot. They are arguably one of the most powerful NGOs (non government organization) in the world but have acquired this power not because of their leadership but because the product they "govern" sells itself. Imagine how much better the game could be if FIFA were run by a competent leader. A small part of me hopes that in 2 years someone creates and productises a non fossil fuel combustion engine, dries up the petrodollars and forces Qatar to abandon their bid....wishful thinking I realize.

World Cup 2018 and 2022....WTF...Qatar, seriously?

Clearly my predictive skills are not that good...I thought England would get the 2018 World Cup, and they did not even make it past the first round! I also thought The United States would get the 2022 World Cup....and that went to the state of Connecticut...I mean Qatar a nation the same size as Connecticut and I would argue whose national team would have difficulty defeating an All-Connecticut team! So what happened? Petro-dollars? Insanity? Practical joke?

First, I am not entirely surprised by Russia winning the 2018 bid. I truly thought that England would get the tournament, it was finally their time to get the showcase soccer event. However, England was out in the first round. I will agree with my fellow podcaster - Gooner - that England has more enemies than friends when it comes to international football. Between their arrogance associated with the EPL, the British press, the feeling of entitlement when it comes to the game and the list goes on, makes for the English constituency not very likable. Not that Russia and Putin give you the warm and fuzzies! It does make sense to see the world's game move to Eastern Europe.

What really was shocking...was how did Qatar get the 2022 World Cup? How? Seriously??? Okay first question, how many World Cups have Qatar played in? Anyone? ZERO! At least South Africa had qualified for a World Cup! Okay, I am sure that Qatar has done well in their regional tournament - the Asian Cup. Want to guess their best result? Quarter finalist in 2000, wow! That is some footballing pedigree. Okay they have won the Gulf Cup of Nations twice, in 1992 and 2004 defeating Bahrain and Oman, two global soccering nations. Wonder where Qatar is ranked in the FIFA world soccer rankings....not that I give those much credence...but they are ranked 113...ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTEENTH right behind Central African Republic, even Haiti is ahead of Qatar at 101...I have had players from the Haitian national team on my mens' league team. So basically Qatar's international soccer squad has the same level of quality that have played on my over 30 mens' soccer team! I understand that there is some value in bringing such an event to the Middle East, but to Qatar? Had the bid been a joint bid with Saudi Arabia, I would understand the reasoning. Add to this the fact in the summer temperatures easily reach 120 degrees Fahrenheit...those are not good conditions in which to play football, actually physically dangerous. Of course Qatar is promising to build air conditioned stadiums...that includes the field being air-conditioned.



I guess if you throw enough money you could air condition a nation for a 30 day period! Add to this the geographic size of Qatar and the fact the majority of the venues will be within a 20 mile radius. Great if you want to try and see 2 games in a day, not so great if you are trying to house, feed and keep entertained all the fans that will be in that 20 mile radius. Germany and England not playing in the same group, no problem except their fans will be "mingling." Then again no beer allowed in Qatar so might not have any English fans in attendance, assuming the Three Lions qualify...There just seem to be too many logistical and practical issues with the bid...especially when you had the United Stated and Australia as better options (Japan and South Korea would have been good options had they not hosted in 2002).

I have a hard time grasping the reasoning behind this awarding. I think that there need to be some rules in place for nations to be allowed to bid - such as quality of domestic league and results from national side. Unlike the Olympics where there are dozens of events, it is based on a city not a nation and there is no "prestige" points to be had if the host does not do well, the World Cup takes place in a nation and there is a genuine benefit from having the host nation perform well. Alas, these aspects are not there in Qatar. But I guess the petro-dollars that must have found their way to individuals' pockets outweigh the sanity that should have dictated the decision.