By Andrew Warshaw at Soccerex in Manchester
September 9 – Outspoken Spanish league chief Javier Tebas, not content with taking on the authorities over Third Party Ownership, has now ignited the controversy over FIFA’s decision to switch the 2022 World Cup to winter.
Tebas has ruffled a number of feathers at UEFA with his constant rants over the importance of allowing Spanish clubs to use outside investors in order to grow their businesses. Now he has rekindled arguably the more reasonable debate over what happens to hundreds of players left at home in mid-season when Qatar stages the World Cup.
“I’m happy it’s going to take place in Qatar but we don’t like the change of date,” Tebas told delegates at the Soccerex global forum in Manchester. “All the stadiums and training pitches will have air-con but this change of date (from summer) is very damaging.”
That spoke for many European stakeholders who had pressed unsuccessfully for a switch to May rather than stage the event in winter with the disruption such a radical move would cause. “We are going to be two and half months with the leagues paralysed. That’s not good for TV rights or sponsors.”
With the top clubs providing the most World Cup players, Tebas is worried what will happen to the rest. “What about the players who don’t go? In Spain’s top division we have around 550 players. What happens to the majority of those? Two months not doing anything. Do we send them on holiday? Do we keep them training? What do we do?” said Tebas.
“I told (UEFA president) Michel Platini it would be like an ice-cream factory. Ice creams are always sold in summer. If you only sell them in winter you don’t earn any money.”
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