FIFA president Sepp Blatter’s proposal to play the 2022 World Cup in Qatar during January has provoked a mixed reaction from English Premier League managers.
Wolves manager Mick McCarthy branded a World Cup tournament in winter “nonsense” and Blackpool boss Ian Holloway “crazy”, but Chelsea’s Carlo Ancelotti and West Ham’s Avram Grant are in favour of the change.
Qatar has temperatures reaching 50 degrees Celsius in June/July but changing the date of the World Cup would have major implications for domestic competitions in Britain and the rest of Europe.
McCarthy said: “I think it’s stupid and I think the more airtime he (Blatter) gets, he makes it worse for himself.
“Taking the World Cup around the globe is one thing, but taking it to a place that’s 50 degrees in the summer, or whatever it is, is nonsense. Then saying ‘we’ll all shut our leagues and play in the winter’ is even more nonsense.”
Holloway was also bitterly opposed, saying: “It’s gone crazy – I think the world has gone completely on its head. We’ll just change everything because their weather is really hot.
“What happens to our football and everybody else’s that would be playing through it? Do we just stop for a while? Genius, absolutely magnificent.
“I’m going to go home and tell my turkeys ‘It’s not Christmas, we’re moving it – it’s all right, you’ve got some respite! I’ve had a word with FIFA and we’re going to move Christmas, it’s no problem’.”
The move to hold the 2022 tournament in January was first suggested by Germany’s FIFA member Franz Beckenbauer and is gathering momentum with Blatter and FIFA’s general secretary Jerome Valcke both now behind the idea.
Blatter told a news conference in Abu Dhabi, where the Club World Cup is being staged: “I definitely support (the idea) to play in winter here.
“It is important to play when the climate is appropriate and I’m thinking about the footballers, not only the fans but the actors.”
Grant, the Israeli manager of West Ham, said the implications were great but that it would be a good thing.
“I like the idea that the World Cup is in Qatar because it’s good for the Middle East,” said Grant.
“I think that, on the football side, it’s very good when you play a World Cup in places like Africa and other countries in good weather.
“For Qatar it looks a good idea but you have to reshuffle all the international calendar.”
Ancelotti said his experience of the intense heat in USA ‘94 had persuaded him of the merits of the plan.
He added: “It will not be easy to manage the team if there is a break in January for the World Cup. If you ask me as a player, it’s better to play in January, obviously.
“It’s impossible to play in 50 degrees. I had that experience in the USA in 1994 and it’s impossible to play at noon and 40 degrees on the pitch.”