FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Sports

FIFA Sets November Start Date for Qatar World Cup—Right Before Blatter Criminal Investigation Announced

Who doesn't love Christmastime in Qatar?

It has been an absolute banner day for the Fédération Internationale de Football Association. Almost immediately before it was announced that Sepp Blatter is soon to face criminal investigation under Swiss authority (Lord—finally!), the dates of one of his most controversial legacies, the 2022 Qatar World Cup, were finally set. For November and December. And for an unprecedented, short 28 days. Delights, delights, all around.

Advertisement

CONFIRMED: FIFA decides 2022 World Cup in Qatar will start November 21 & to be played in just 28 days. Final on Dec 18, Qatar National Day
— Rob Harris (@RobHarris) September 25, 2015

To put it kindly, the 2022 World Cup in Qatar is rife with ridiculum. After the horrifying human rights issues and the bribery, perhaps nothing on the long list of controversies has drawn more ire than the proposed—now set—dates for the tournament.

Summertime World Cups has been a fairly practical standard that FIFA set up: while it's smack dab in the middle of MLS season, it is in the off-season for La Liga, the Premier League, Bundesliga, and Serie A. It's also when peak temperatures in Qatar reach 122 degrees Fahrenheit, however, and officials warned that players and fans alike wouldn't be able to withstand the heat, refrigeration be damned. So FIFA rescheduled the World Cup: average temperatures drop to 86 degrees in November and to the mid-70s by December. The final is set for December 18.

This all goes to show that Sepp Blatter isn't going down without taking you, and four major European leagues, with him.