World Cup faces nuclear winter in sun-baked Qatar
by the by. The World Cup – and Euro championships – brilliantly fill the summer void.
We race home from work to watch Mexico v Germany, we wander up from the beach when on hols to see Japan take on Belgium, we persuade the missus we can’t miss Nigeria against Argentina.
The sun is out – sometimes – and the days are long. The sport we love is front and centre when we need it most then it’s back to the club days and the long slog through the winter.
Goodness knows what a winter World Cup is going to do to the club game. It won’t matter much to us with about a half a dozen players involved but it will wreck the schedules all over Europe and blow a hole in the Champions and Europa Leagues.
What the heck is going to get us through the rubbish autumn and winter months if football is packed away for eight or 10 weeks just at a time when we are starting to get our teeth in to it? That’s just looking at it from a selfish couch potato point of view.
What about the poor punters who want to actually go?
England fans have taken to launching their beers into the air every time they get a corner kick in Russia. Good luck with that in Qatar.
Booze is still a no-go over there and there’s no intention to lift it.
Fans will be able to celebrate with a Capri Sun while the fan parks back in Blighty will need to hand out cagoules. Aye, cheers FIFA.
An 80- strong delegation from Qatar spent the month kicking around Russia for ideas but they won’t be recommending the one staring everyone in the face.
Get the World Cup out of the Middle East and back in to the middle of the summer.