New Telegraph

Qatar 2022: A World Cup with a difference

In 24 hours, the greatest show on earth will get underway, when the 22nd edition of the World Cup kicks off in the tiny Middle East nation of Qatar. In staging the Mundial, as it is also called, for the first time in the region, the world of football has been forced to adjust around the globe, as only the ‘beautiful game’ can force them to, in a number of ways.

The first one that jumps out is the fact that the competition will not be taking place during its traditional summer months, which has been the norm since the first edition took place in Uruguay, way back in 1930, but in winter and for obvious reasons – the searing heat, which the Middle East is noted for. Once the tiny nation of 2.9 million people upstaged more notable footballing nations like Australia, Japan, South Korea, and the US to land the top football event some 12 years ago, it was obvious that the weather would have to be seriously considered for the safety of the players and millions of fans, who will swoop on Qatar for the competition. After lengthy discussions amongst all the stakeholders, it was only logical that November-December would be the most favourable time.

This then threw up another major headache for operators of the various domestic leagues, especially those in Europe – how to then accommodate this disruption of their season, which usually runs from August to May. And thus, in another first, even the English Premier League, which had been reluctant to factor in a winter break during the season, domestic leagues had no choice but to agree to go on a six-week hiatus, to accommodate Qatar 2022. This then threw up another set of problems – how to accommodate all the domestic and international competitions in the football calendar year, which usually lasts nine months? The only solution was to cram as many fixtures as humanely possible in the roughly three and half months before the kick-off of the World Cup. Consequently, football aficionados were treated to almost nonstop games, as matches came thick and fast.

In England for instance, apart from play-ing 15 league matches during this short period, the players also had to conclude all the first rounds of international club competitions like the Champions League, Europa Cup, and Europa Conference League, and one round of the League Cup! While national teams also had to begin their Nations League qualifiers earlier than usual with games kicking off in June, the traditional summer break for the players, and concluding in September.

Thus, by the time the World Cup kicks off tomorrow, some footballers would have played an unbelievable number of games, which begs the question of how much will be left in the tanks of these players heading into the World Cup. This heavy workload has led to the players’ union and other experts raising eyebrows.

An unhappy players’ union, Fifpro, warned last week that footballers are being “pushed past acceptable limits” by a “saturated” schedule to allow for the mid-season World Cup. A Fifpro report, published by the BBC, said the “unsustainable” workload damages players’ physical and mental health and puts their “career longevity at risk”.

Fifpro’s comments are part of a report that was published during the week which looked into player workload and how it has been impacted by the 2022 World Cup. The report highlights Tottenham and South Korea forward Son Heung-min, who played more than 600 minutes of football in October, with games every three or four days. It says he completed more than 146,000km of international travel with club and country, since the beginning of last season, crossing 132 time zones. The report also highlights that, since the beginning of last season, Senegal striker Sadio Mane played 93 competitive matches for Liverpool and Bayern Munich.

This raises the very ugly prospect of millions of fans around the world not enjoying top-flight games as enjoyed in previous World Cups due to the physical toll playing so many matches have taken out of the players. Unlike previous editions when managers had roughly three weeks to prepare their teams, many teams will be arriving in Qatar without enjoying such optimum preparations. Incidentally, there has also been criticism of the lack of recovery time for players after the World Cup. The final takes place on December 18, two days before the English domestic season resumes with the Carabao Cup fourth round. The Premier League returns on December 26.

“Something definitely worth mentioning is the mental effect, particularly for the players who are playing in the latter stages of the World Cup where there is high pressure and high states,” said Darren Burgess, former Performance Director at Arsenal, Liverpool, and Australia. “[It could] potentially be between eight and 15 days from their last World Cup game and first club game and that is absolutely not enough time to mentally recover and digest and process the experience they have had at the World Cup. “It will undoubtedly lead to a lot of mental stress.”

Sadly, one noticeable trend in the buildup to the tournament is the decision of the western media to focus on the negatives of the host nation – which has become the norm, once the host is not one of them. Although some did highlight possible problems with neo-Nazis in the run-up to Germany in 2006, warning visitors, especially blacks, to be wary of them, the criticism was mild compared to their coverage of the build-ups of South Africa in 2010 and Brazil in 2014.

For South Africa, it was almost non-stop coverage of poverty, high crime rate, and prostitution, while Brazil was also painted in a similar hue, with almost saturation coverage of the seedier side of the South American giant including corruption and life in the favelas – the slums in Brazil. It was doom and gloom for the two countries. However, at the end of the day, the tournaments went on with hardly a hitch. For Qatar, it has been their treatment of immigrant workers, human rights, and their stand on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) issues.

But what I don’t understand is that it is the same West that coined the adage: “When you are in Rome behave like the Romans”, so why are they now wanting the phrase to be changed to “When you are in Rome do not behave like the Romans but rather like Western visitors!” For me, it’s just like a guest visiting me at home and then demanding that I must cave into his way of life, whether they suit me or not. All said and done though, football lovers will be hoping to enjoy a spectacle as some of the best legs in the business strut their stuff for the next month on the world’s biggest stage with many ups and downs on the way to the final on December 18.

Thirty-two teams and 831 players will be in Qatar hoping to be crowned champions, however, at the end of the day only one of them will have this dream realised. Although sadly Nigeria’s Super Eagles will be missing in action for the first time in 12 years, after crashing at the final qualification hurdle to arch-rivals, Ghana’s Black Stars it will not dampen the 28-day spectacle for football aficionados who cannot wait for kick-off. In concluding this piece, all I can say is, may the best team win!

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