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“Equally Crazy Idea” – Villa CEO Rails Against Greed & The Ruination Of “National Tradition”

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Despite being a sideshow for what I have long assumed was the vast majority of football fans, it seems international football and FIFA’s pockets can’t do anything wrong as following on from the utter shambles that was Argentina in the September interruption window, the Premier League have now confirmed that our 2022/23 campaign will likely have a lovely six odd week mid-season break so Qatar can hold it’s hyped up press relations exercise whilst making sure nobody looks at anything else.

For those who love festive club football and the varying traditions that go along the festive fixture crush – well, none of that will happen in 2022, but I doubt anyone is really surprised with that given the pathetic selection process we saw and the fudges made by FIFA to ensure Qatar took place.

Following the weekend of November 12, football pauses and it’s believed it will restart on Boxing Day and the genius plan means that selected players have a week with their national sides, and then will have just eight days to recover following the Final before the Premier League restarts.

Speaking for all of us following the four hour long PL Meeting where the 2022/23 schedule was discussed, Chief Executive Christian Purslow bemoaned.

“Next season when we play in an equally crazy idea, which is a winter World Cup, we won’t see any Premier League football at the peak of our season between November and December, which is something that people are going to have to get used to. These are decisions that get taken a long time ago. They bite, quite soon. Next season we’ll all see that. I always have concerns about player welfare but I have more concerns for our fans missing Premier League football in the winter for five weeks, which is our great national tradition and our great national heritage.”

That’s not the only change we can enjoy next season, as the campaign begins a week earlier (August 6 is the guess) and will finish later in May than is usual – with the FA Cup Final being shunted into June.

Fans are already torn about Qatar given the other issues – Vital Villa’s World Cup 2022 Forum Thread

Having had a pretty horrific start to the 2021/22 campaign with pre-season Covid issues and quite clearly not enough match practice to get players properly fit and sharp (and we can certainly expect more international shenanigans as the interruption window returns in October) it’s difficult to not be a bit wary for what this might do for next season’s aspirations.

As obviously, it would be remiss to just assume further Covid issues and potential cancellations won’t still be a part of life come the cross of 2022 into 2023 and after disruptions this season and last, Villa don’t need a third year of this – particularly when this madness, inconvenience and morally blinkered interruption comes from FIFA executives wanting to fatten up their wallets and nothing else.

Which of course fits nicely with the new campaign for biennial World Cups, but it’s not about the money is it?

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