Our old mate Michel Platini, who enjoyed watching us in the Europa League against Lazio and Lyon last season, has had another go at the English. You're all shocked, I know, so I'll clarify exactly what he's said and what it's in reference to. As virtually every league in Europe had objected to FIFA's ridiculous proposal to shift their money making Qatar World Cup to the winter, he decided that this was appropriate: "I will say something to the English. We respect your calendar for 150 years - for one month in 150 years you can change. "I played in winter all my life, in the snow, in the rain, because of your calendar. You can change it for one month - I don't ask any more. "In Qatar there is nobody there in June, they are all in Europe, it's 50C and you can do nothing. "I have said that from the beginning and I was always transparent about that because I think it is time we take the World Cup to an Arabic country." Now let's leave aside the fact that the bid was for a summer World Cup, it's a ludicrous decision and there's no way it should be held in a homophobic desert. My main point is that he's picked yet another issue to criticise this country over, as if there's only one place that's objecting to him lining his pockets with a crap choice. As he's got such a major problem with one of the main countries in European football, I'd suggest that he's probably unsuitable for his post. How to get rid of the arrogant, clueless old twat?
I agree with every word Platini said, apart from addressing it to only the English. There is no reason at all why some countries should be barred from bidding for the World Cup simply because they are too hot in June. It's very sensible to move it to January and won't hurt anyone. I have sympathy for PnP's argument against Qatar on non-footballing grounds though, but they've got it now and it needs to be held at the best time.
"How To Solve A Problem Like Michel" Have him and Blatter kidnapped and locked away for at least 9 years. That should do it.
The issue with this is that the footballing world doesn't revolve around the Qatari schedule. Every major competition in world football is played with the summer months off. The economic and social damage a winter WC would cause is simply too great to consider. Why would we change it? To accommodate the Qatari climate? If they knew they couldn't realistically host it why bother bidding on it? Imagine if let's say Afghanistan gets the Olympics. What if they say the same? They don't want to host it when they promised to host it, so can the rest of the world please redo their leagues, sponsorships, television schedules, player vacations, rests, international breaks, etc for 3 seasons to host it in March perhaps? We can't accommodate that. Similarly we can't let every nation decide when they feel like hosting it. The reason the WC is in June is not because the English arbitrarily picked that month as if it was meaningless. It was picked to accommodate the schedule of most if not all of the worlds major footballing countries. That is important to remember. We can't have countries asking to host it in May or September because its too hot. It doesn't work for anyone else.
It's got nothing to do with him as he works for UEFA not FIFA. He should shut up and concentrate on trying to make his ridiculous "touring" Euros work.
It would actually be much more sensible if the World Cup was always held in January and the European leagues had a mid-winter break to accommodate it.
If he didn't like playing in the snow and the rain then why did he take up football. On that basis we should not play football in Europe at all because it rains throughout the year. Did he really say these things! He should have played cricket that's a summer game and if it rains they stop. The Arabic contribution to football is? Oh yes MONEY! says it all. You invent a game play it for hundreds of years and then along comes this guy with LOADS of money. 'I want it, now shut up, and do as your told' Oh sorry I didn't see your wallet at first.
Also criticising the English and then this pops up. Platini will gauge the views of the European associations on the issue at a meeting in Dubrovnik, Croatia, in September. He hinted he would prefer to move the 2022 World Cup to January rather than November or December, so it did not disrupt any European club competitions. Doesn't want to distrupt the European competitions though money grabbing bas***ds, think it would be better to not have any that season and then see what they say, twats.
Why they can't build an indoor, air-conditioned stadium or five? They're expensive, and caring for the grass is a pain, but it can be done with enough money, and it seems to me they have money. My objection is to petrarchies like Qatar or any other place that makes a sad farce of representative government. They will blow up in the faces of anyone near them, and they will do so sooner rather than later.
Is it not a "dry" country as well? Bugger going all the way there to watch England under-perform AND not be able to have a light ale.
There's a few silver linings, I've been offered silly money to go over to Qatar and start putting all the infrastructure in place. Seriously considering it, I could retire off the back off it. I'd miss a young daughter growing up but I'd be able to put something down for her future.
It's probably like Dubai - you can drink in the tourist areas (i.e. hotels), plus I doubt Budweiser would fund FIFA if they couldn't sell their piss in the stadiums. That was the best thing about the 2006 World Cup - the German FA bluntly told FIFA that no self-respecting German would accept that Budweiser was the only beer they could drink at the stadiums, so FIFA had to back down and allow Bittberger in the stadiums as well.
