FIFA Delay Decision to Confirm 2022 World Cup Switch; Forms Task Force: Daily Soccer Report

FIFA executives must have been wondering how they could diffuse the negativity and tension regarding the decision whether to move the World Cup 2022 from summer to winter, as well as how to make the process of reaching a decision as fair as possible while giving the different countries a “voice.”

So FIFA, in their “infinite wisdom,” have decided to form a task force that will be focused on analyzing whether to move the Qatar tournament from the summer to winter.

According to The Independent, “Members of the ‘Fifa family’, broadcasters and representatives of the European leagues will be part of the task force that analyze if such a switch is possible.”

While the task force will appear to be fair and impartial, we all know that FIFA will decide to move the tournament to the winter no matter what the task force finds or hears. It’s just a political move by FIFA to take themselves out of the equation and to say that they had a task force that analyzed the move. Pure politics. Same old FIFA.

Here are today’s world soccer news headlines:

International soccer

• Fifa delay decision to confirm 2022 World Cup switch, with task force to analyse moving the Qatar tournament to winter — Independent
• Ukraine and Peru suspensions delayed — FIFA
• Gareth Bale called up to Wales squad then withdraws — The Mail
• Midfielder Yohan Cabaye and striker Loic Remy recalled to France squad to face Finland — The Republic
• Joe Hart will keep place as England’s No1, says manager Roy Hodgson — The Guardian

Premier League

• Were Manchester City and their manager Manuel Pellegrini naive? — The Guardian
• FA release 150th anniversary tube map with famous player names — The FA
• Ryan Giggs plays 145th Champions League game – officially competition’s most experienced player — 101GG
• Kevin Ball could land the Sunderland job with victory over Manchester United — Metro
• Arsene Wenger set to be offered new three-year deal at Arsenal — The Mail
• Retro football shirts: a GuardianWitness Assignment – gallery — The Guardian
• Norwich City investigating racism on social media — Norwich City
• Are sports rights-holders holding back growth of digital sports consumption? — UK Sports Network
• Joey Barton says West Brom goal hero Morgan Amalfitano’s move to England was helped by him — The Mirror
• Joe Hart’s mistakes mounting up after Bayern Munich — Telegraph
• Football fans unite to call for a peaceful South Wales derby day — Wales Online
• FA criticised as English match fixing scandal deepens and links to Aussie arrests — Inside World Football
• Swansea opponents St Gallen helped create total football — The Mail
• Gary Neville criticises Joe Hart after Manchester City’s Champions League defeat by Bayern Munich — MEN

La Liga

• Atlético Madrid have truly arrived after conquering Real Madrid again — The Guardian

Bundesliga

• Jurgen Klopp: Borussia Dortmund coach banned for Arsenal game — BBC Sport
• Germans revel in Pep Guardiola’s 100th day at Bayern Munich helm — The Guardian

UEFA Champions League

• FC Basel face UEFA action over Greenpeace’s protest against Gazprom — ESPN FC
• Russia charges 14 Greenpeace activists with piracy over Gazprom oil drilling protest — Independent

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