Fallout from the decision

[John Brickley]

As a huge fan of Portuguese football and a big fan of Spanish football, I am disappointed with the decision regarding 2018, but I understand it and it makes certain sense and it should be a good world cup. 2022 is a WHOLE DIFFERENT MATTER!

As much as I celebrate the justice of the Arab world getting their first World Cup I do not see the practicality of this decision at all. How are you going to play football in the middle of summer in Qatar? The temperature on the pitch will be around 110-120 degrees every game. Seriously heat stroke for the players is going to be a huge concern. And if FIFA is looking for world cups that will feature free flowing fast paced open games with good scoring opportunities they can forget about it in that kind of oppressive heat. There is simply no way that physically players can maintain a high level of intensity in that kind of playing environment. Will we have our first on field death in a world cup match? This just does not make sense.

So I am disappointed by 2018 but I predict a good (if not great) world cup. The temperature should be moderate thereby and with all of the oil money flowing in Russia (with Abramovich front and center) they should put together some world class stadia, but I think the product on the field in Qatar (I am sure that they too will build some fabulous stadia and that off the field it will be a great experience there) will be a disaster and a terrible world cup.

So 2018 makes sense, but 2022 seems completely unrealistic to me.

PS. I just read that Qatar plans to air condition their open air stadiums to combat the heat. While it may have some functionality in relation to the stands, what about the pitch and the players? Seriously how is that going to work? Short of putting turbines on the touch line that will need to be so strong that they would influence the flight of the ball I don't see anyway that you could cool an open air pitch.

[Bill Morrison]

Qatar has the money. I assume they will build air conditioned stadiums and the matches will be played indoors?

BILL

[John Brickley]

Qatar has the money. I assume they will build air conditioned stadiums and the matches will be played indoors?

BILL

No that is not what I understood from Qatar's presentation. They are going to build state of the art outdoor stadia that will be airconditioned. I seriously doubt that FIFA would ever accept football being played indoors and on any surface other than grass which is extremely difficult to grow indoors.

[Kevin Rector]

No that is not what I understood from Qatar's presentation. They are going to build state of the art outdoor stadia that will be airconditioned. I seriously doubt that FIFA would ever accept football being played indoors and on any surface other than grass which is extremely difficult to grow indoors.

Perhaps they will take a page from the Miller Park and create open stadiums that can be closed for inclement weather.

[Ryan Scott]

They've got this technology that supposedly can get the temperature on the pitch and in the stands down to a tolerable level.

Even more, they're building the stadiums in such a way as to be able to tear them down and sell them to other countries that will actually use them.

Seriously.

FIFA isn't taking bribes. No way. They're completely above board on this.

[Steven Martinez]

This has nothing to do with being above board it has everything to do with being bribed. It was already proven that England and the US would make the most money for the tournament, already have the vast majority of the stadiums in place and have all of the hospitality to go with the record crowds they can bring in. We have to remember that the last world cup in the US still has the record for most attendance per match and most overall attendance. Putin, did not even show up for the Russian bid and they still won it. The there is the whole Iberian controversy regarding votes but again who cares about the truth?

[Ryan Scott]

Did you hear what the Russian spokeman gave as the reason Putin didn't go? He said (paraphrased), "with all the talk of corruption surrounding FIFA right now, Mr. Putin felt it would be best not to attend and risk giving the appearance of using celebrity to influence voters."

Seriously.