Gianni Infantino, FIFA President. at the head of a board that has the power to make changes to the system. Photo: Christopher Pike / Bloomberg.
Almost 100 days after the start of the Qatar World Cup 2022 there is the possibility of having to advance the countdown. That is the date indicated for the start of the appointment in the Middle East it could undergo a minor but very significant variation, from Monday 21 November to Sunday 20 November. And for a fundamental reason: the protagonists of the opening match.
The initiative would be an increasingly insistent topic of conversation FIFA according to sources he was able to access Clarione. It is worth mentioning that according to the provisions, match 1 of the World Cup between Qatar Y Ecuadorfor Group A, it should be played in the third round on Monday 21st (at 1pm in Argentina), after the duels between Senegal and the Netherlands (at 7) and England against Iran (at 10).
However, The idea that is taking shape is that the host nation and the team led by Gustavo Alfaro anticipate their meeting on Sunday 20 at night. (6 hours less in Argentina) citing various arguments that would make the proposal feasible.
One of them points tradition that it has been imposed in the World Cup that the host country or the last champion is the team in charge of playing the first game of the competition.
The clash between Qatar and South Americans will be played at the Al Bayt stadium, in the Qatari town of Jor, located 48 kilometers from Doha, and given the importance of the match it is expected to be sold out. Now, the discussion is fixed on the day and the hour.
The Qatari Ali Almoez, figure of the host team. Photo: REUTERS / Aziz Karimov.
Both the Qataris and the Ecuadorians, with the support of Conmebol, they would be willing to advance their game one dayand FIFA would be studying the feasibility of the possible change as reported by Switzerland.
Another data in favor of the possible change is that in the face of the complications offered by an already tight schedule, this match would not generate problems for the clubs due to the calls related to the transfer of players.
Furthermore, the change would allow the match between Senegal and the Netherlands to be moved to central time, leaving the clash between Qatar and Ecuador vacant, at 13:00 in Argentina, when in Europe it is 18:00. and there are many more people in front of the screens.
Gustavo Alfaro before the chance to lead the first World Championship of his career. Photo: Stacy Revere / Getty Images / AFP.
The impact that this change could generate on the fans and the logistical problems related to away matches and transfers would also have been assessed. If so, it is estimated that the biggest drawback would be Ecuadorian fans traveling on the same day, if any, although it is expected that the stands will be mostly made up of local audiences.
In case of confirmation of this proposal, it will be the FIFA Council Bureau, the body in charge of decisions against time related to the World Cup, which will have the power to give the “ok” or thumbs down to the initiative. This Bureau is made up of a maximum of 7 members: the president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, and the 6 representatives of each of the confederations.
Qatar and Ecuador would be willing to change the day and time of their match: an idea that closes all but the millions of matches that are already being printed around the world.
The appointment to date
Source: Clarin
