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Post by PotterLog on Sept 8, 2013 15:24:08 GMT
So deaths from heat exhaustion/dehydration/overwork, dollar-an-hour wages, 60-hour weeks and cramped, unsanitary living conditions are features of any typical construction site you might find in England or Canada? I don't think you're being honest. And in fact, even if that was true, it still doesn't change anything about the apparent situation in Doha. Still waiting for examples of how the article is misleading or sensationalist. Have you ever been to one of these construction sites or indeed a migrant workers camps? There is not one scrap of evidence about deaths from heat exhaustion or overworking, he states they don't get time off in the summer, do you suggest construction work only take place in cooler months. As I said I have worked in these countries along side Asian labourers, from a western viewpoint their living facilities may seem awful but I have lived in factory accommodation on trips abroad many times along with thousands of other European migrant workers, not many Hotels in desert oil fields, not many workers get to stay in the Hyatt Regency like Philippe Auclair does when he works abroad. As I stated before the working conditions on the construction sites themselves are no different to any world wide, something neither you or the author know anything about. You ask what is misleading or sensationalist in the article, I will reply AGAIN, tell me what relevance and bearing the photographs alone have and why did he use them? As you know a picture speaks a thousand words and he is trying to portray that, getting your head down during the day, or using a site box as your lunch table and a breeze block as your seat is somehow some form of modern day toil, when in fact it is something workers worldwide do every day given half a chance. But as I said before philippe auclair would not know that being used to silk sheets 5 star cuisine when he is working. One last thing, can you tell us all what YOU do for a living. So - again - your evidence that the article is 'misleading and sensationalist' is two photographs which don't depict what you've imagined they're supposed to depict? Even the Qataris themselves have admitted there are problems with working conditions which they hope to improve, I don't know why you're so keen to deny it.
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Post by jonnybravo on Sept 8, 2013 17:51:07 GMT
The whole thing fucking stinks FIFA are so corrupt, even 'Arry wouldn't go near them with a shitty stick The FA are just as corrupt
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Post by Deleted on Sept 8, 2013 20:10:54 GMT
what an arsehole is sheikh al dubai bin stokie
I Like debate, but fuckin hell...what a tosser
to slag off .....'unintelligent,etc....' WHO THE FUCK DO U THINK U ARE?.....wanker i would say
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Post by Deleted on Sept 8, 2013 20:39:05 GMT
what an arsehole is sheikh al dubai bin stokie I Like debate, but fuckin hell...what a tosser to slag off .....'unintelligent,etc....' WHO THE FUCK DO U THINK U ARE?.....wanker i would say ;D brilliantly bonkers! ;D
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Post by Stretfordpotterer on Sept 9, 2013 14:32:51 GMT
lazy journalism and poor standard of comments on this post. Yes, it might seem a low wage to you in your ivory towers in the west, but what choice to these guys have? sleeping in the streets of india, pakistan, bangladesh etc with nothing. this allows them to feed and shelter their families back home. I believe the word is exploitation. Something the gulf states are very keen on. Ship in desperate young men from 3rd world countries, set them to work on a wage which just about gives them a pittance to send home but could never possibly provide them with enough money to actually pay for their transport back to wherever they came from. Deduct "living costs" from the already paltry wages and confiscate their passport so that even if they decide to walk a third of the circumference of the earth in blistering heat to get themselves home, they can't, because they haven't got the money to buy back their passport. It's as close to slavery as you can possible get without doing away with the pretence and just calling it that, and the poor fuckers who've build abu dhabi, bahrain and dubai up from desert shacks to glittering citadels to avarice are in the same boat, many of them stuck in a vicious cycle for over a decade, unable to afford their ticket home.
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Post by fromtheusa on Sept 9, 2013 14:57:25 GMT
I lived in Doha for a while, it's the nicest sh#thole in the World. Shocked at how clean it is and virtually zero crime. There is the whole caste system and Qataris scare the sh$t out of me. They drive Ferraris like maniacs and if they crash into you it's your fault if they press the issue.
Better have your marriage license with you if you want to hold your wife's hand in public.(Not joking) Coworker of mine was deported for kissing a women while on a date. This was in 2010/2011. Alcohol is legal to non-Muslims but they a strict about it. Cheapest Guinness at a bar or hotel cost $23 US. At all times you have to remember your a guest in a foreign land.
I remember a taxi driving bragging about making roughly $7,000 a year, something around 50,000 riyal. That salary made him an important man in his home country.
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Post by sheikh al dubai bin stokie on Sept 9, 2013 17:04:24 GMT
lazy journalism and poor standard of comments on this post. Yes, it might seem a low wage to you in your ivory towers in the west, but what choice to these guys have? sleeping in the streets of india, pakistan, bangladesh etc with nothing. this allows them to feed and shelter their families back home. I believe the word is exploitation. Something the gulf states are very keen on. Ship in desperate young men from 3rd world countries, set them to work on a wage which just about gives them a pittance to send home but could never possibly provide them with enough money to actually pay for their transport back to wherever they came from. Deduct "living costs" from the already paltry wages and confiscate their passport so that even if they decide to walk a third of the circumference of the earth in blistering heat to get themselves home, they can't, because they haven't got the money to buy back their passport. It's as close to slavery as you can possible get without doing away with the pretence and just calling it that, and the poor fuckers who've build abu dhabi, bahrain and dubai up from desert shacks to glittering citadels to avarice are in the same boat, many of them stuck in a vicious cycle for over a decade, unable to afford their ticket home. have you ever been to the places where these 'poor fuckers' call home? also - your post is riddled with inaccuracies ; you say - could never possibly provide them with enough money to actually pay for their transport back to wherever they came from truth - they get flights back home as per their contract, its the law and is enforced. you say - Deduct "living costs" from the already paltry wages truth - what living costs are these then apart from food? accommodation, elec, water, clothing included in their contract.. again by law. you say - they haven't got the money to buy back their passport truth - they can get their passport back any time they like - again its the law. you say - It's as close to slavery as you can possible get truth - why do they keep coming back for more if its slavery? you say - many of them stuck in a vicious cycle for over a decade, unable to afford their ticket home truth - what you say here is just complete bollocks, im sorry.Every single worker in the gulf has a ticket home guaranteed - by law. ----- im not saying the place is perfect, far from it... but you arent looking at it in any form of context., You cant judge the region on what you have back home.
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Post by cartman123 on Sept 9, 2013 17:14:54 GMT
Anyone who goes to places like Dubai deserves to be shot. Can't stand those Arabs. They've become rich of someone else's work and yet come here driving round in fast fancy fucking cars making a nuisance. Send them all back!
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Post by sheikh al dubai bin stokie on Sept 9, 2013 17:23:46 GMT
Anyone who goes to places like Dubai deserves to be shot. Can't stand those Arabs. They've become rich of someone else's work and yet come here driving round in fast fancy fucking cars making a nuisance. Send them all back! which one of my 2, 8 or 11 year old children would you like to shoot first? fucking moron.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 9, 2013 19:27:20 GMT
Fifa, uafa and the fa will move the world cup to the winter no doubt about it. Their excuse will be it's for the sake of the fans. What fans exactly may i ask? Has anybody on here been asked about their opinion because i certainley have'nt. I have no intrest in going to Quatar for many reasons and i dont see why the domestic game should alter just because sepp blatter had his pockett greased with oil money. I'd like the fa to make a stand and not send a team (never happen due to corporate reasons) but prehaps the supporters association could send a clear message to our fa as its clear nobody wants a winter world cup other than fifa
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Post by Huddysleftfoot on Sept 9, 2013 20:10:13 GMT
Only just picked this thread up and followed the link. The whole situation is absolutely appalling. Time for the FA's across the world to take action..announce their departure from FIFA and set up a new body that takes note of these awful facts and makes sure they are not repeated. FIFA's top brass should be arrested and tried for bribery and corruption.
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Post by PotterLog on Sept 10, 2013 2:13:27 GMT
I believe the word is exploitation. Something the gulf states are very keen on. Ship in desperate young men from 3rd world countries, set them to work on a wage which just about gives them a pittance to send home but could never possibly provide them with enough money to actually pay for their transport back to wherever they came from. Deduct "living costs" from the already paltry wages and confiscate their passport so that even if they decide to walk a third of the circumference of the earth in blistering heat to get themselves home, they can't, because they haven't got the money to buy back their passport. It's as close to slavery as you can possible get without doing away with the pretence and just calling it that, and the poor fuckers who've build abu dhabi, bahrain and dubai up from desert shacks to glittering citadels to avarice are in the same boat, many of them stuck in a vicious cycle for over a decade, unable to afford their ticket home. have you ever been to the places where these 'poor fuckers' call home? also - your post is riddled with inaccuracies ; you say - could never possibly provide them with enough money to actually pay for their transport back to wherever they came from truth - they get flights back home as per their contract, its the law and is enforced. you say - Deduct "living costs" from the already paltry wages truth - what living costs are these then apart from food? accommodation, elec, water, clothing included in their contract.. again by law. you say - they haven't got the money to buy back their passport truth - they can get their passport back any time they like - again its the law. you say - It's as close to slavery as you can possible get truth - why do they keep coming back for more if its slavery? you say - many of them stuck in a vicious cycle for over a decade, unable to afford their ticket home truth - what you say here is just complete bollocks, im sorry.Every single worker in the gulf has a ticket home guaranteed - by law. ----- im not saying the place is perfect, far from it... but you arent looking at it in any form of context., You cant judge the region on what you have back home. Who in this thread is judging anything by 'what they have back home'? It would be helpful to the debate if you stopped with this "you don't know what you're talking about you've never lived there" line because it's completely irrelevant to the points being made in the article. Considering Auclair quotes Human Rights Watch, the International Trade Union Confederation, the Qatari Supreme Committee and FIFA itself, you've yet to provide any actual evidence that contradicts what he says in the article - or that at least confirms it as 'lazy journalism', which is what you claimed in your first post. Saying "it's the law" is a bit like saying no kidnappings happen in Brazil because "it's the law". You've also yet to back up why you think these workers' conditions are justifiable purely because they are desperate and have no other option.
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Post by Stretfordpotterer on Sept 10, 2013 7:53:13 GMT
I believe the word is exploitation. Something the gulf states are very keen on. Ship in desperate young men from 3rd world countries, set them to work on a wage which just about gives them a pittance to send home but could never possibly provide them with enough money to actually pay for their transport back to wherever they came from. Deduct "living costs" from the already paltry wages and confiscate their passport so that even if they decide to walk a third of the circumference of the earth in blistering heat to get themselves home, they can't, because they haven't got the money to buy back their passport. It's as close to slavery as you can possible get without doing away with the pretence and just calling it that, and the poor fuckers who've build abu dhabi, bahrain and dubai up from desert shacks to glittering citadels to avarice are in the same boat, many of them stuck in a vicious cycle for over a decade, unable to afford their ticket home. have you ever been to the places where these 'poor fuckers' call home? also - your post is riddled with inaccuracies ; you say - could never possibly provide them with enough money to actually pay for their transport back to wherever they came from truth - they get flights back home as per their contract, its the law and is enforced. you say - Deduct "living costs" from the already paltry wages truth - what living costs are these then apart from food? accommodation, elec, water, clothing included in their contract.. again by law. you say - they haven't got the money to buy back their passport truth - they can get their passport back any time they like - again its the law. you say - It's as close to slavery as you can possible get truth - why do they keep coming back for more if its slavery? you say - many of them stuck in a vicious cycle for over a decade, unable to afford their ticket home truth - what you say here is just complete bollocks, im sorry.Every single worker in the gulf has a ticket home guaranteed - by law. ----- im not saying the place is perfect, far from it... but you arent looking at it in any form of context., You cant judge the region on what you have back home. And i'm not suggesting for a minute that ALL guest workers are treated abysmally, and effectively held captive in a foreign land. Or that some of them don't get thir two months at home in a year. What i am saying is there is a lot of evidence from various international bodies such as Human Rights Watch, Amnesty etc, that this can and does happen on a fairly large scale.
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Post by Timmypotter on Sept 10, 2013 8:55:33 GMT
I lived in Dubai for 3 years and I have to agree with a lot of what Sheik says (how's it going J?)
There's a lot of ignorance on this thread - sure I'll get shot down for that - but unless you've been to Mumbai, Colombo, Kathmandu and other large urban centres in the sub-continent (I'm fortunate enough to have spent time in those places) then you can't appreciate what life is like for the poor there. It doesn't relate in any way to what we'd recognise as poverty. In this country there'd be outrage if we saw dogs living in the conditions many live in over there. An unskilled job in the gulf can be a ladder out of an unfeasibly bad situation at home.
Not that any of that excuses the exploitation of foreign labourers by SOME (not all) development companies in the gulf. SOME developers (I'm sure you can put me right Sheik, but I think Nakheel have had their fingers wrapped a few times) have confiscated passports and rigged thermometers to permit working in poor conditions. However, this isn't ALL developers.
I knew people who've managed building projects over there and, as has been pointed out on this thread, these people aren't slave drivers. They're people who've managed building projects in the west and they don't suddenly become blood thirsty animals on arrival in the Gulf.
It's a tricky situation. Could developers pay labourers more? Yes. Does employment in the Gulf help the majority of those who it lifts out of abject poverty in the sub-continent? Yes. Where is the happy medium? Unfortunately, I guess the market will decide in a region where employment legislation hasn't kept pace with explosive growth.
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Post by biddulphchav on Sept 10, 2013 14:45:13 GMT
I lived in Qatar for 15 years so hopefully that qualifies my opinion sufficiently such that my take is not dismissed as 'half assed' I agree with a lot of what is written in the article. What you will find with many expatriate workers in these regions (and by this I mean Americans and Europeans), is that they turn a blind eye to it, because basically it threatens the lifestyle to which many of them have become accustomed. Like FIFA - their morals are corrupted by $$$$$$$. Workers in these places frequently die from either work related accidents or poor health. They have zero rights. They can go years without being paid what is owed to them. I left Qatar when I was 16. I would never go back there, for many reasons, but what I've described above is a big part of it. We all make our own choices Sheikh, but lets not pretend its not happening or attempt to defend it. In your opening sentence you state you lived in Qatar for 15 years, I assume you did this to introduce yourself as someone qualified to offer a legitimate and reasoned argument in this debate, you then go on to say you left Qatar as a 16 year old and say "I would never go back there, for many reasons" Can I ask what you saw of working conditions and workers while you was in nappies and junior school. That article is correct in some respects, but is about as accurate as a Danny Dyer documentary on modern day 'firms' at football games, it is misleading and sensational, something so called investigate journalists are prone to. How do I qualify to state my opinion you may ask, well I have worked in many of the gulf states over the past 25 years, although not Qatar (but I've holidayed there) I have worked in Saudi, Iran, Kuwait and Bahrain and in the last 10 years have worked for a company who have opened factories in the emirates of Dubai and recently Ras Al Khaimah, I have been a major part in getting those factories up and running, working along side many of migrant workers in question. The photographs alone in that article are bullsh*t, two show worker on a mats resting, indicating that is their normal sleeping space, when I first went out to Dubai the heat was unbearable to work in, my previous jobs in the gulf had all been supervisory not grafting in an un finished factory without air con or air circulation, during the afternoon you hit a physical wall of exhaustion because of the temeratures that was unreal, that was until our labourers showed and advised me to get down on the floor in a shaded area at lunch time and sleep instead of sitting in an cabin drinking coffee and chatting, I cant begin to tell you how much better it was when we started sleeping for an hour on the factory floor instead at lunch time. The other photo shows a worker sat at the side of a site box on a breeze block eating his lunch, that is something that happens daily in this country on nearly every building site or factory installation project I go on, but perhaps that journalist or photographer is only used to lunching in London's celebratory restaurants on their fat expense account. There is a lot that can be done to improve the lot of migrant workers in the gulf states, but how many of youconsider that on your visits to the fabulous holiday hotels in places like Sharm El Sheikh, Dubai, Abu Dhabi or indeed Doha in Qatar. I could also throw in thousands of cruise ships, all of who rely on low paid migrant workers from the Indian sub continent, Philippines or South and Central America and are treated just as badly, just so your two weeks in the sun every year remains affordable. Gross hypocrisy springs to mind. And lastly all of those people choose to leave the abject poverty they live in their own countries so would it not be better to address the problem at source instead of picking easy targets like Qatar. It's late and there has been a lot of additional comments on this thread that I can't really be bothered to address. Clearly a difference of opinion exists here. It's important to note that there is definitely an economic drive for these workers to move to the Gulf and take up jobs - and often they're able to better the lives of their families and themselves when they eventually return home. What I'm questioning is the lack of basic human rights that exist there for these workers. That's the part I find wrong and therefore it's the crux of this argument. Ultimately - there is no justice for these people when things go wrong. Whether that be an accident (do you think their families are compensated?), or a falling out (I have seen and heard of beatings with no recourse). I'm pretty sure we can all agree that these are basic human rights. In the Gulf though, a racial hierarchy exists and these people are at the bottom. They don't have these rights. The fact that Sheikh and Dam don't seem to mind is pretty symptomatic of the general attitude of most expats in the region. Why would they? Their lifestyle is underpinned by cheap labour! Don't rock the boat! And Dam, 15 years growing up in the country with Indian friends, English friends and friends who's parents were gardners, engineers etc gave me a very good perspective of what life is ACTUALLY like for these people over there. I could cast doubts over whether your experience has given you a balanced and complete picture of society in the region but I'm not in a position to judge and quite frankly, I couldn't care less!
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Post by malteser68 on Sept 10, 2013 22:01:09 GMT
"More workers will die building World Cup infrastructure than players will take to the football pitch unless steps are taken to reform working conditions in Qatar." Shocking. . As if Qatar should ever have been awarded the World Cup !!! The whole thing smacks of corruption. They should stick to organizing camel races in the desert
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Post by malteser68 on Sept 10, 2013 22:05:01 GMT
"More workers will die building World Cup infrastructure than players will take to the football pitch unless steps are taken to reform working conditions in Qatar." Shocking. . As if Qatar should ever have been awarded the World Cup !!! The whole thing smacks of corruption. They should stick to organizing camel races in the desert
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Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2013 12:08:45 GMT
Fairly obvious that they will not take the world cup from Qatar instead they will switch to winter, and I personally do not see a prob with that. It will involve a European wide winter break which will need to be phased in gradually, and involve a few more midweek games, and lets face it, the championship and lge 1 & 2 start before us & finish before us. So starting in 2020 finish 2 weeks earlier, say end April, start 2 weeks earlier, Early Aug, and have a 2 week winter break, then 2021, bring end forward and start forward by 1 week, then for 2022 same again and a 4 week winter break will be easier to accommodate. You simply cannot impose it immediately, it has to be phased in, and indeed phased out, and lets face it, it is not that long ago when the prem was 22 teams and it always finished earlier than it does these days.
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Post by johnsmithsupper on Sept 19, 2013 12:22:53 GMT
Just don't go even if we qualify, simple
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Post by spitthedog on Sept 19, 2013 12:27:37 GMT
Just don't go even if we qualify, simple That's a ridiculous suggestion. Might satisfy you, but what about the players and fans who want a World Cup? The team wouldn't qualify anyway if they knew they wouldn't be playing in it!
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Post by scfcbiancorossi on Sept 19, 2013 12:37:54 GMT
I still don't get the big deal. Its going to be in the winter for once...so what?
It will make it all the more unique. Realistically its just too hot over there in the summer to play football. The only issue I have is why the fuck didn't they address this obstacle on awarding Qatar the world cup? Shambolic.
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Post by scfcbiancorossi on Sept 19, 2013 12:39:34 GMT
Just don't go even if we qualify, simple That's a ridiculous suggestion. Might satisfy you, but what about the players and fans who want a World Cup? The team wouldn't qualify anyway if they knew they wouldn't be playing in it! We probably wont qualify mate. In fact, we wont be qualifying for Brazil at this rate! Hodgson out!
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Post by farmer on Sept 19, 2013 12:40:14 GMT
The easy option is that the fixtures continue,they don't stop the Rugby fixture or Cricket fixtures when there is a international on.The league would only then be disrupted for 6 weeks max and less for a lot of players as they are knocked out of the comp.It would also allow younger talent to be on show.The other options would disrupt 3-4 seasons.
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Post by fca47 on Sept 19, 2013 12:45:16 GMT
The point about this is that it has been engineered through corruption. That lying arse Blatter knew all along that it would have to be moved if they got it, but pretended it was still going to be the summer. They would not have got it if they had been honest about their intentions. There have obviously been a lot of people in on this, probably including Platini. The dishonesty of people running FIFA and UEFA is incredible.
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Post by ladyinred on Sept 19, 2013 12:55:24 GMT
What would constitute as Winter? Are they considering a February WC for example?
- Remove 'international friendly' breaks for the 2021-22 season (any friendlies have to be midweek, if the midweek is spare) - FA Cup matches to be played Midweek - no replays for a one-off season - Start the season 2 weeks earlier and end it 2 weeks later.
Probably would be the least disruptive way.
It's not just about whether or not England qualify - many Prem players are internationals for various countries.
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Post by Paul Spencer on Sept 19, 2013 13:02:44 GMT
Fairly obvious that they will not take the world cup from Qatar instead they will switch to winter, and I personally do not see a prob with that.It will involve a European wide winter break which will need to be phased in gradually, and involve a few more midweek games, and lets face it, the championship and lge 1 & 2 start before us & finish before us. So starting in 2020 finish 2 weeks earlier, say end April, start 2 weeks earlier, Early Aug, and have a 2 week winter break, then 2021, bring end forward and start forward by 1 week, then for 2022 same again and a 4 week winter break will be easier to accommodate. You simply cannot impose it immediately, it has to be phased in, and indeed phased out, and lets face it, it is not that long ago when the prem was 22 teams and it always finished earlier than it does these days. Really? 70% of the players that competed in the South Africa World Cup ply their trade in the European Leagues and are paid extremely handsomely by their host football clubs, football clubs who are in turn beholden to sponsors and tv companies. European football is the life blood of the game and you can't just tell everybody that is a part of it, from supporters, to players, to clubs, to sponsors and tv companies that their leagues are going to be suspended because FIFA want to stage the World Cup in a country which is unable to stage it in the summer months. Just dealing with the Prem for a moment: 1. What if the TV companies don't want a two month break in the winter and threaten to reduce what they're prepared to pay for the rights to screen matches if there is a break - who picks up the financial shortfall? 2. What happens if England don't qualify for the World Cup, are we supposed to have a two month break in our calendar even though our national team isn't competing in the World Cup and as a result have issues with the domestic calendar for several seasons? 3. What happens to the January transfer window? 4. How are the major clubs going to react when scores of their players return injured and/or fatigued and are then expected to compete for European and domestic honours, without the players having had a summer break to recover? 5. What is the consideration for the knock effect into the lower leagues, how can League 1 finish in May and be ready to go again in August when the Championship and the Prem is going to finish much later and start much later the following term? 6. How are we going to squeeze all the domestic games into a shorter period, if the competiton is brought forward by six months, when we're going to be already trying to squeeze the World Cup qualifiers themselves into a shorter time frame as it is and as a result will have a congestion of international breaks? 7. The winter Olympics take place in Winter 2022, we're not going to seriously stage both competitions in the same season are we? I'm sure there are numerous other issues to consider also. If FIFA want to sit down with a proposal that addresses all of the above and no doubt much more and then give EVERYBODY time to consider that proposal fully, then we can CONSIDER playing the tournament in the winter but only then, a proposal that should have been a part of the Qatari bid from the outset.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2013 13:17:10 GMT
The easy option is that the fixtures continue,they don't stop the Rugby fixture or Cricket fixtures when there is a international on.The league would only then be disrupted for 6 weeks max and less for a lot of players as they are knocked out of the comp.It would also allow younger talent to be on show.The other options would disrupt 3-4 seasons. That makes a lot of sense....
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Post by fortressbritannia on Sept 19, 2013 13:17:58 GMT
Taking 7 weeks out of the domestic calendar isn't going to work.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2013 13:23:08 GMT
Fairly obvious that they will not take the world cup from Qatar instead they will switch to winter, and I personally do not see a prob with that.It will involve a European wide winter break which will need to be phased in gradually, and involve a few more midweek games, and lets face it, the championship and lge 1 & 2 start before us & finish before us. So starting in 2020 finish 2 weeks earlier, say end April, start 2 weeks earlier, Early Aug, and have a 2 week winter break, then 2021, bring end forward and start forward by 1 week, then for 2022 same again and a 4 week winter break will be easier to accommodate. You simply cannot impose it immediately, it has to be phased in, and indeed phased out, and lets face it, it is not that long ago when the prem was 22 teams and it always finished earlier than it does these days. Really? 70% of the players that competed in the South Africa World Cup ply their trade in the European Leagues and are paid extremely handsomely by their host football clubs, football clubs who are in turn beholden to sponsors and tv companies. European football is the life blood of the game and you can't just tell everybody that is a part of it, from supporters, to players, to clubs, to sponsors and tv companies that their leagues are going to be suspended because FIFA want to stage the World Cup in a country which is unable to stage it in the summer months. Just dealing with the Prem for a moment: 1. What if the TV companies don't want a two month break in the winter and threaten to reduce what they're prepared to pay for the rights to screen matches if there is a break - who picks up the financial shortfall? 2. What happens if England don't qualify for the World Cup, are we supposed to have a two month break in our calendar even though our national team isn't competing in the World Cup and as a result have issues with the domestic calendar for several seasons? 3. What happens to the January transfer window? 4. How are the major clubs going to react when scores of their players return injured and/or fatigued and are then expected to compete for European and domestic honours, without the players having had a summer break to recover? 5. What is the consideration for the knock effect into the lower leagues, how can League 1 finish in May and be ready to go again in August when the Championship and the Prem is going to finish much later and start much later the following term? 6. How are we going to squeeze all the domestic games into a shorter period, if the competiton is brought forward by six months, when we're going to be already trying to squeeze the World Cup qualifiers themselves into a shorter time frame as it is and as a result will have a congestion of international breaks? 7. The winter Olympics take place in Winter 2022, we're not going to seriously stage both competitions in the same season are we? I'm sure there are numerous other issues to consider also. If FIFA want to sit down with a proposal that addresses all of the above and no doubt much more and then give EVERYBODY time to consider that proposal fully, then we can CONSIDER playing the tournament in the winter but only then, a proposal that should have been a part of the Qatari bid from the outset. You raise some good points, but the TV companies will not really be that bothered, as the length of the season will not be changed, nor will the number of games. All leagues will finish and start at the same time, they did before. So what about the winter Olympics, Euro & Summer Olympics take place in the same year. And as for the financial shortfall the game is awash with money and I am sure that any shortfall will be minute...
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Post by Paul Spencer on Sept 19, 2013 13:24:34 GMT
The easy option is that the fixtures continue,they don't stop the Rugby fixture or Cricket fixtures when there is a international on.The league would only then be disrupted for 6 weeks max and less for a lot of players as they are knocked out of the comp.It would also allow younger talent to be on show.The other options would disrupt 3-4 seasons. That makes a lot of sense.... No it doesn't. Do you seriously think the likes of Chelsea, Man Citeh, ManU, Arsenal, Spurs etc. are going to play a couple of months of the Premiership season without the vast majority of their squads - there's not a chance in hell they will. If there was any possibility that this eventuality could arise, then over the next few years you will see contract after contract being drawn up between clubs and players, where a player would not be allowed to leave their domestic club for anymore than two international matches at a time whilst the season is under way - contracts that the players most definitely would sign. Indeed the best way for English football to put pressure on FIFA over this issue, is not to threaten to withdraw from the competition but to make it abundantly clear that we will not suspend the Premiership if a winter world cup is staged. Ergo a World Cup without all the stars of the Premiership would be a total disaster and FIFA would be forced to change it's decision.
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