There's a storm brewing, from Switzerland to 30 Gloucester Place, via the deserts of Qatar. But this isn't just a sand storm surrounding the timing of the 2022 World Cup, this storm threatens to change the face of football administration across the world.
The Premier League's opposition to moving the Qatar World Cup to winter is well documented. The prospect of playing the greatest football tournament on earth, in the Middle East, at the height of summer, is hardly an appealing one. So much so, it rather makes you wonder why FIFA didn't think about that before they chose the venue.
In July this year, FIFA President, Sepp Blatter, stated his support for a winter tournament, suggesting the FIFA Executive Committee could consider moving the date of the tournament, if requested by the host nation. Yet this suggestion was branded "nigh on impossible" by Premier League Chief Executive, Richard Scudamore, who called on FIFA to move the event rather than the date.
Whilst Mr Scudamore accepts that "it’s their (FIFA's) decision not ours as to where they hold the World Cup", he feels rather differently about any attempt to change the date of the tournament. Indeed, press reports suggest that last month Mr Scudamore refused to rule out the possibility of taking legal action if FIFA try to stage a winter competition.
This situation has been made all the more heated by the intervention of the incoming FA Chairman, Greg Dyke, who branded a summer World Cup in Qatar as "impossible", putting him at odds with both the Premier League and his predecessor at the FA, David Bernstein, who said in June that any switch in date would be "fundamentally flawed".
The Premier League's opposition to moving the Qatar World Cup to winter is well documented. The prospect of playing the greatest football tournament on earth, in the Middle East, at the height of summer, is hardly an appealing one. So much so, it rather makes you wonder why FIFA didn't think about that before they chose the venue.
In July this year, FIFA President, Sepp Blatter, stated his support for a winter tournament, suggesting the FIFA Executive Committee could consider moving the date of the tournament, if requested by the host nation. Yet this suggestion was branded "nigh on impossible" by Premier League Chief Executive, Richard Scudamore, who called on FIFA to move the event rather than the date.
Whilst Mr Scudamore accepts that "it’s their (FIFA's) decision not ours as to where they hold the World Cup", he feels rather differently about any attempt to change the date of the tournament. Indeed, press reports suggest that last month Mr Scudamore refused to rule out the possibility of taking legal action if FIFA try to stage a winter competition.
This situation has been made all the more heated by the intervention of the incoming FA Chairman, Greg Dyke, who branded a summer World Cup in Qatar as "impossible", putting him at odds with both the Premier League and his predecessor at the FA, David Bernstein, who said in June that any switch in date would be "fundamentally flawed".
The FA being at odds with the Premier League is hardly new, nor indeed is the FA being at odds with FIFA, yet the issue of the Qatar World Cup has put the Premier League on a collision course with footballs world governing body. The Qatar World Cup represents a Rubicon, a point beyond which either FIFA or the Premier League will be forced to acknowledge their subservience to the other.
The logic of a winter tournament is irrefutable, particularly from the fans point of view, yet it is only fair to point out that the Premier League is not alone in its opposition to a change of date. On August 11th reports circulated of a letter from the President of the European Professional Football Leagues to Sepp Blatter. The letter set out the position of the EPFL that the FIFA executive committee could choose the venue of a World Cup but not alter the timing of the tournament without the consent of the leagues, due to the complex logistics of the global football calendar.
Whilst this letter would suggest the Premier League is not alone in its opposition to a winter tournament, a call for consultation is hardly the same as branding a move "nigh on impossible". Indeed, reports from Germany suggest that Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, the Chief Executive of Bayern Munich, is open to the possibility of a winter World Cup, along with a permanent change to the German football calendar. The stance of Rummenigge, Chairman of the European Club Association, puts him at odds with the Premier League, who refuse to accept the concept of even a single-season adjustment. Moving on from the German and European Champions, Qatari finance has transformed the fortunes of French Champions Paris Saint-Germain and overturned 104 years of history by providing the first commercial shirt sponsor for Spanish Champions, Barcelona.
The Premier League are hardly likely to find support from their regional FIFA representative, UEFA, whose President Michel Platini, is a well known ally of Sepp Blatter (with a few recent exceptions) and an outspoken critic of the finance that pervades the English game. Rumors of a "sweetheart deal" between Qatar and the Spanish federation (RFEF), in the lead up to the 2022 vote, not to mention the "hire" of our own England team for a friendly with Brazil in Qatar in 2009, would suggest that the Premier League cannot guarantee that Europe's great footballing powerhouses will continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them in their fight to maintain a summer tournament.
The logic of a winter tournament is irrefutable, particularly from the fans point of view, yet it is only fair to point out that the Premier League is not alone in its opposition to a change of date. On August 11th reports circulated of a letter from the President of the European Professional Football Leagues to Sepp Blatter. The letter set out the position of the EPFL that the FIFA executive committee could choose the venue of a World Cup but not alter the timing of the tournament without the consent of the leagues, due to the complex logistics of the global football calendar.
Whilst this letter would suggest the Premier League is not alone in its opposition to a winter tournament, a call for consultation is hardly the same as branding a move "nigh on impossible". Indeed, reports from Germany suggest that Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, the Chief Executive of Bayern Munich, is open to the possibility of a winter World Cup, along with a permanent change to the German football calendar. The stance of Rummenigge, Chairman of the European Club Association, puts him at odds with the Premier League, who refuse to accept the concept of even a single-season adjustment. Moving on from the German and European Champions, Qatari finance has transformed the fortunes of French Champions Paris Saint-Germain and overturned 104 years of history by providing the first commercial shirt sponsor for Spanish Champions, Barcelona.
The Premier League are hardly likely to find support from their regional FIFA representative, UEFA, whose President Michel Platini, is a well known ally of Sepp Blatter (with a few recent exceptions) and an outspoken critic of the finance that pervades the English game. Rumors of a "sweetheart deal" between Qatar and the Spanish federation (RFEF), in the lead up to the 2022 vote, not to mention the "hire" of our own England team for a friendly with Brazil in Qatar in 2009, would suggest that the Premier League cannot guarantee that Europe's great footballing powerhouses will continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them in their fight to maintain a summer tournament.
One thing is for sure - Qatar 2022 has a long time to run. What is less certain is the strength of opposition around the world game to a winter World Cup. What is possible is that the by-product of this debate will be a battle to the death between FIFA and the Premier League, two organisations joined only in their contempt for each other, both committed to asserting their dominance over the other. FIFA might not relish the prospect of negotiating with Football Associations around the world to change the date of their marquee tournament, yet this inconvenience provides the perfect opportunity to put the Premier League in their place.
A storm is brewing and the potential for devastation is enormous.
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