FIFA’s executive committee has confirmed its decision to host the 2022 World Cup, which has been the subject of intense scrutiny and controversy, in November and December, 2022. The global football organizing body announced the confirmation of the new calendar after its executive committee met and deliberated this week. FIFA also confirmed that the final of the tournament will be held on December 18 which is also Qatar’s National Day.
Announcing to the public, FIFA’s director of communications Walter De Gregorio also alluded that the winter change will not be the only alteration as the event will also be held within a 28-day window as opposed to the standard 32 days.
“This is for us, an important step. Finally, we know the end of the tournament. It’s a Sunday and, by the way, it’s the national day in Qatar, so it fits perfectly. You have enough time to do your Christmas shopping,” he added, while addressing fears that fans might miss the Christmas holidays if the final of the winter World Cup were to be held on December 23 as proposed by UEFA.
Speaking on the news, UEFA president Michel Platini described the decision as acceptable. “Dec. 18 is a good date for the final — perhaps Dec. 23 would be too late if you are trying to get all the fans back on Dec. 24,” Platini told Press Association Sport. “Dec. 18 is fine for UEFA – we can accommodate any changes to the Champions League.”
The news comes after a long-standing debate over the dates of the Qatar 2022 World Cup and will likely see another debate emerge over the propriety of the winter World Cup as bids for the tournament were based on a summer event.
The African angle
The confirmation of the winter World Cup by FIFA concerns Africa greatly as the 2023 African Cup of Nations scheduled to be held in Guinea between January and February 2023 automatically comes into question. FIFA General Secretary Jerome Valcke had earlier hinted that CAF had agreed to shifting the dates of the 2023 AFCON saying: “The African confederation has automatically and nicely agreed it will not organize the Nations Cup in January 2023. It will have to postpone the Africa Cup of Nations to June,” he said.
However, Guinea, through its Sports Minister Domani Dore, has rejected claims of an agreement to shift dates. “We cannot accommodate the Nations Cup in June, it is the rainy season,” Dore stated. “CAF needs to take care to seek the advice of Guinea that we as a state decide which dates the tournament will be played. We understand the problem around the World Cup and a clash with the Nations Cup. But CAF needs to take care to ask our opinion. In June, we cannot accommodate a Nations Cup tournament. It’s not possible,” he said.
With the confirmation of a November-December World Cup, CAF and its 2023 hosts, Guinea, will need to quickly harmonize plans or else just as the world seemingly settles its worries on debates over a football event, Africa will immediately begin another debate of its own.
