Do you remember the bid Qatar put together for the 2022 World Cup? It was the stuff of legend and fantasy, claiming they would combat the 120-degree summer heat with stadium design that allowed for controlled climate, according to the Qatari bid vice-chairman, who also went on to say Qatar had "other plans up our sleeve." Those secret plans may or may not have included an effort to manipulate clouds.
Even better, these plans would be solar-powered and reduce temperatures by up to 20 degrees, for a cool 100 degrees during the World Cup (good luck, England!). That is, of course, assuming the stadiums actually get built, as Qatar currently has just three stadiums with a total capacity of just over 92,000.
There are also issues like alcohol, which is banned in Qatar, as well as homosexuals, who are also banned, and the fact that none of the climate-cooling techniques have ever been tested before or provide anything for anyone outside of the stadium (which will be most people).
On its surface, the bid looked completely farcical, and when you throw in a bribery scandal that went with the bid, it becomes clear that it was.
Naturally, all of the dubious claims were in fact dubious, and Qatar has finally revealed why they needed to keep plans in their sleeves, as they are now lobbying FIFA to move the World Cup to winter. This is a ludicrous idea because it would occur during the middle of every European soccer league, and FIFA is beginning to realize the depths of their incompetence.
From CBSSports.com:
“It was a blatant mistake," said Thoe Zawnziger, a member of FIFA's executive committee, to Sportbild magazine. “Changing the World Cup to the winter is going deep into the structures of European national federations and also amateur football in Germany.”
He warned that switching the World Cup to the winter months could threaten the “unity of German football.”
Numerous European leagues, including the English Premier League, would be adversely interrupted as well. But Blatter said he would continue to urge the committee to switch the World Cup schedule, despite the apparent disruption.
“If this World Cup is to become a party for the people, you can't play football in the summer,” Blatter said. “You can cool down the stadiums but you can't cool down the whole country.”
No, of course you can't, which is exactly why FIFA never should have selected Qatar in the first place. But perhaps that was overlooked while FIFA execs were fanning themselves down with cash.
