Fifa says no to disgruntled clubs and bodies seeking World Cup compensation
by Tom Anstey | 25 Feb 2015
The World Cup will move to winter in 2022 despite protests from Europe's football leagues / Shutterstock.com
Fifa has said it will not pay out compensation to football clubs and leagues unhappy with plans to hold the 2022 Qatar World Cup through November and December, adding that no apology was necessary for the disruption.
A Fifa taskforce made the decision on Tuesday (24 February) after determining that temperatures in Qatar during June and July would make elite outdoor sport of any kind impossible in the country. During the traditional World Cup months, temperatures can reach as high as 50C. Through November and December however, temperatures drop to the more manageable mid-20s.
The scheduling of the tournament has been hotly debated since the announcement was made in December 2010. Officials from European football leagues – especially England’s Premier League – said moving the World Cup dates would cause serious scheduling problems for the leagues for three successive seasons from 2020-21 to 2022-23. The scheduling also causes disruption to the African Cup of Nations which will now move to June 2023 as opposed to January.
"There will be no compensation," said Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke. "There are seven years to reorganise."
Despite the busy traditionally busy Christmas football calendar, the final is tentatively set for 23 December. Australia, which competed with Qatar for the 2022 World Cup, said in January 2014 that it would seek compensation from Fifa if the tournament was played in winter.
Valcke says European governing body Uefa and other confederations are keen on 23 December, although 18 December is also a possibility. The secretary general added that the 2022 World Cup will be four days shorter as a "concession" to leagues and clubs and that the situation was “not perfect.”
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Fifa has said it will not pay out compensation to football clubs and leagues unhappy with plans to hold the 2022 Qatar World Cup through November and December, adding that no apology was necessary for the disruption. A Fifa taskforce made the decision on Tuesday (24 February) after determining that temperatures in Qatar during June and July would make elite outdoor sport of any kind impossible in the country. During
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