World cup 2022 - A game of three thirds ?

[Southern Toon]

FIFA could allow matches at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to be played over three 30-minute periods if temperatures in the stadiums became dangerously high for the players, a senior stadium engineer told delegates at a conference on Wednesday.

Michael Beavon, a director of Arup Associates who helped to develop the zero-carbon solar technology that will cool the 12 stadiums, told delegates at the Qatar Infrastructure Conference in London that the air-cooling would maintain a comfortable temperature of around 24 degrees Celsius in the stadiums.

"There is a moderate risk of heat injury to the players between 24C-29C but if you go above that you have high and extreme risk of injury.

"The one thing FIFA do say, although it is for guidance, is if it's 32C they will stop a match and play three 30-minute thirds rather than two 45-minute halves.

"The reason would be to re-hydrate the players before they could carry on playing. That of course would play havoc with TV schedules and those kind of things.

"The commitment from Qatar was to provide conditions in the moderate band, so that matches would go ahead and be played as normal. Matches have to be played at an acceptable temperature and in safety so that FIFA do not intervene."

A FIFA spokesman told Reuters: "This possibility has not been discussed. In any case, this would require a change in the Laws of the Game, and therefore would have to be analysed and approved by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) in the first place."

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

What a complete farce. They should scrap that Qatar decision now.

 

[deletebeepbeepbeep]

I'm sorry but football is a SIMPLE game that is played pretty much the same worldwide. If you have to invent new equipment, or change the rules of the game, so that people dont get INJURED or DIE whilst playing the game then something is telling you that it's a bad decision.

 

[Rich Suvner]

I'm sorry but football is a SIMPLE game that is played pretty much the same worldwide. If you have to invent new equipment, or change the rules of the game, so that people dont get INJURED or DIE whilst playing the game then something is telling you that it's a bad decision.

This This This This

 

[Seasider78]

For me the last world cup was a massive disappointment and Russia does not look very inspiring either. By the time we get to the inevitable farce that is Qatar FIFA may have lost all interest in the WC

Lets hope Brazil delivers...........................

 

[Razi]

When would they change halves?

 

[Triggaaar]

When would they change halves?

The way things are going, the ref would just wave, goalies would have to sprint, and the defender with the ball at the back would score into an empty net.

 

[Cantona's Flying Dropkick]

USA wanted quarters in 1994, they didn't get them.

 

[brakespear]

I'm sorry but football is a SIMPLE game that is played pretty much the same worldwide. If you have to invent new equipment, or change the rules of the game, so that people dont get INJURED or DIE whilst playing the game then something is telling you that it's a bad decision.

absolutely, illustrating exactly how much of the decision was based on football.

 

[Gritt23]

"The one thing FIFA do say, although it is for guidance, is if it's 32C they will stop a match and play three 30-minute thirds rather than two 45-minute halves.

Based on Sepp's stance on video technology, then I would presume this would apply to the game all around the World, and at all levels.

 

[Falkor]

doesnt the weather in Barca and other med areas reach 30+ easily during some matches

 

[Gully]

doesnt the weather in Barca and other med areas reach 30+ easily during some matches

It does, I played a game of hockey in Cyprus and the temperature was something like 35C, which was pretty exhausting for a game lasting only 70 minutes. The temperature in Qatar, when the World Cup should take place, can easily reach 45C in the middle of the afternoon...playing football in those conditions is mind-numbingly stupid and the potential for disaster doesn't even bear thinking about.

 

[Easy 10]

Qatar World Cup - 3 x 30 minute periods ?

World Cup in 2022 could become a game of three halves in the 40 degree heat of Qatar - Telegraph

World Cup in 2022 could become a game of three halves in the 40 degree heat of Qatar

It has been a game of two halves ever since it was codified by the British in the 19th century but Fifa's controversial decision to award the World Cup to Qatar in 2022 could see football become a game of three thirds.

Having decided to play the tournament in the middle of summer in a country where temperatures regularly exceed 40C, Fifa have been wrestling with the problem of how the world's best players are going to cope with the conditions.

Air conditioned, indoor stadiums will help, but even that might not be enough to keep them at a safe temperature according to Michael Beavon, a director of Arup Associates, the company responsible for developing the zero-carbon solar technology intended to cool them.

As a result, one proposal being considered by Fifa is to play the 90 minute games over three 30-minute periods if the temperature inside the stadiums exceeds 30c because of the potential health risks involved.

"There is a moderate risk of heat injury to the players between 24C-29C but if you go above that you have high and extreme risk of injury, " said Beavon, who was speaking to delegates at the Qatar Infrastructure Conference in London.

"The one thing Fifa do say, although it is for guidance, is if it's 32C they will stop a match and play three 30-minute thirds rather than two 45-minute halves.

The reason would be to re-hydrate the players before they could carry on playing. That of course would play havoc with TV schedules and those kind of things.

"The commitment from Qatar was to provide conditions in the moderate band, so that matches would go ahead and be played as normal. Matches have to be played at an acceptable temperature and in safety so that Fifa do not intervene."

A Fifa spokesman attempted to calm fears that a huge break in tradition is about to happen last night, insisting nothing has been finalised at this stage.

He said: "This possibility has not been discussed. In any case, this would require a change in the Laws of the Game, and therefore would have to be analysed and approved by the International Football Association Board (IFAB) in the first place."

The laws of the game state that a match will last for two periods of 45 minutes, unless otherwise mutually agreed by the referee and both teams, though any changes to the usual 45-minute halves have always been to reduce the playing time for age-group matches.

However, the risk of dehydration and heat exhaustion is a very real threat given the dangerous temperatures in Qatar.

Despite these concerns, the oil-rich Arab state was awarded the tournament last December, beating off bids from Australia, South Korea and the United States.

Other possible solutions have been mooted, including the possibility of playing the tournament in the winter. That, though, would cause huge problems, not least because it would come in the middle of European domestic campaigns.

European leagues employ the majority of the world's best players and the move to a winter tournament would lead to a clash with Uefa, as well as the most powerful clubs, who would resist any attempt to deprive them of their best players.

Even though most European countries other than England have a winter break, they are not long enough to fit a World Cup tournament into, let alone the preparations.

It is this that has forced Fifa to look at other solutions, the risks highlighted when an inspection team visited Qatar in September last year when the temperature exceeded 40c.

That was not enough to prevent Qatar from winning the bidding process, but it is giving Fifa a major headache according to Beavon.

He said: "Players have to sweat their heat off when they are running around, and in this environment there is a risk of injury when you go above certain temperatures.

"I think Fifa are doing the right thing in having a contingency if the temperature was to rise above 29C in the stadium. It is very forward-thinking of them to take the players' safety into account, but I am convinced that the cooling systems will be 100 per cent reliable.

"Over the next 11 years the technology will be improved and of course there will be a back-up system. With a solar-powered system it is almost 100 percent guaranteed now, and we have no real fears that it would fail."

Facepalm anyone ?

For what its worth, I still sincerely believe that this World Cup simply will not happen in Qatar, it'll be switched, maybe off the back of the Bin Hammam corruption charges (hearing coming up in a couple of weeks) or if not, later down the line.

Its complete and utter madness, totally unworkable, and as the influence of clubs grows stronger we'll reach a point whereby they'll just say "no" to releasing their prized assets into this lunatic tournament.

 

[Razi]

Oooooh, a schoolboy error from such a seasoned poster.... original thread still on page 1 of the forum, too

World cup 2022 - A game of three thirds ?

 

[alan partridge]

World Cup in 2022 could become a game of three halves in the 40 degree heat of Qatar - Telegraph



Facepalm anyone ?

For what its worth, I still sincerely believe that this World Cup simply will not happen in Qatar, it'll be switched, maybe off the back of the Bin Hammam corruption charges (hearing coming up in a couple of weeks) or if not, later down the line.

Its complete and utter madness, totally unworkable, and as the influence of clubs grows stronger we'll reach a point whereby they'll just say "no" to releasing their prized assets into this lunatic tournament.

I agree. Well, I hope so anyway.

It's ridiculous, and for once I hope player power can come into play. I would have thought if a group of the world's best players came out and said no thanks, with the inevitable support from their clubs, it might force a rethink.

 

[Psychobilly freakout]

why does this surprise anyone Fifa have lost the plot and are driven solely by money. The good of the game my arse

 

[beorhthelm]

bit daily mail isnt it? i mean why even discuss such a ludicrous change to the games rules, with implicit complications (one team gets to play in the same direction for two thirds), when a simpler solution would be to stop for water break at 20 min in?

For what its worth, I still sincerely believe that this World Cup simply will not happen in Qatar, it'll be switched, maybe off the back of the Bin Hammam corruption charges (hearing coming up in a couple of weeks) or if not, later down the line.

Its complete and utter madness, totally unworkable, and as the influence of clubs grows stronger we'll reach a point whereby they'll just say "no" to releasing their prized assets into this lunatic tournament.

oh and this. i do foresee a late change and who could support that at late notice...

 

[Deleted member 18477]

If the game is 3 periods not 2 then simply it is not football. New sport? Qatarball. Wankers!

 

[Sergei's Celebration]

The hotest I have ever operated in was 41degs in Iraq. One horrid day I went out on patrol and started to actually cook. I couldn't drink enough water to hydrate and collapsed in camp about an hour later. I woke in the med centre with a drip in my arm and them attempting to bring my core temp down as I had been pan-fried like a piece of bacon.

 

[Tricky Dicky]

What they want, of course, are more ad-breaks. The game is becoming mroe Americanised by the minute.