FA Chairman Calls Timing Of Qatar World Cup ‘Best Of Bad Options’

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Greg Dyke is still disappointed that the tournament is taking place in Qatar.

FA Chairman, Greg Dyke has reluctantly supported FIFA’s announcement today that the 2022 Qatar World Cup will be played in November and December, according to the Independent.

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“I have said from the start we cannot possibly play in the summer in Qatar, it would be ridiculous to play then,” Dyke explained.

Some of the controversy surrounding the tournament largely centres around the hot conditions in the country. In the summer time – when the World Cup was scheduled for throughout the bidding process – temperatures can reach 50 degrees in the middle east, making the tournament potentially unsafe for both players and fans.

Dyke admitted that while he would have preferred more radical action, he is pleased that some common sense has prevailed.

“The best option would be to not hold it in Qatar, but we are now beyond that so November/December would seem to be the best of the bad options,” he continued.

The FA Chairman’s next concern is to start putting the plans in place that will ensure that the English domestic season is not greatly affected.

“You might be able to keep the disruption to one season if you start earlier and end later but it’s going to be tough – and unnecessary because we would not be doing this if FIFA had done their work properly,” Dyke added.

While feeling that this is the best possible option for everyone without Qatar losing the right to host the tournament, Dyke has criticised FIFA for their part in the build up to this decision.

“This is something FIFA brought on itself by not reading the report of the safety inspector. It tells you the technical assessment was not being used as the basis for the decision,” he concluded.

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