November 11 – There are mixed opinions about the World Cup being held in late November and December. It’s created a domestic league situation the likes of which we haven’t seen. Even countries that haven’t qualified for the finals are being affected and are seeing their domestic league seasons fractured.
Football fans now settled into the new season face almost immediately face a long period without being able to see their favourite teams playing.
In Italy there will be no Serie A games played between mid-November and all of December. Juventus for example, have a gap of 52 days between hosting Lazio and an away game at Cremonese.
The staging of the World Cup in the winter hasn’t been met with approval from all quarters. The European Club Association initially had misgivings but their view now is that clubs will just have to adjust to the situation.
There’s no real alternative really is there? What needs to happen is every country, league and club affected (and it’s a long list indeed) has to figure out the best way to financially deal with what will hopefully be a one-off occurrence. Will that be the case though? There is no guarantee it won’t happen again and a lot will depend on whether other Middle East nations host the tournament – Saudi Arabia are part of a powerful consortium with their eyes on hosting 2030.
This problems caused by a winter World Cup are challenges not just for club and leagues, but for the countries playing in the finals and the gambling industry.
Preparations for this World Cup are very different from previous tournaments. There’s no long period with players and some friendlies being played. International managers will just have to hope their players turn up fit and they can get down to some training.
The 2022 World Cup will be a massive betting event. For those in New Jersey, this will be the first time legal sports betting will be allowed and plenty of dollars will be placed during the tournament. However, bookmakers like Caesars or BetRivers in NJ will be without the top leagues and it will be a similar situation to that faced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
What about those players left at home? That’s a list which includes Erling Haaland (cue sigh of relief from defenders), Mo Salah and Jorginho. Clubs will need to do all they can to ensure that they remain fit and ready for when the season resumes.
As for those who do head to Qatar, there are going to be plenty of headaches for club managers. They’ll be watching the finals hoping that their players won’t get injured. Some countries may have a couple of weeks between the final and the resumption of their league season. That’s not the case in England though.
There are fixtures scheduled to take place just eight days after the final. Will players who are involved in the latter stages of the World Cup be ready to play again just days later? Those Premier League clubs with strong squads may well prosper from this unique situation. Others with strong teams but weak squads have a difficult time ahead of them.
It’s almost like two seasons in one and teams will need to make a good start when the league seasons resume. Uncharted waters lie ahead of us over the next two months, that is for sure.
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