2022 World Cup Follies Update

I swear I don't know where that money came from.

How long ago was 1863? The battle of Gettysburg was fought in that year. 1863 is also the year in which the rules or “Laws” of soccer were first introduced. And, ever since then,148 years, the game has always been played in 2 halves. You play 45 minutes, take a break, then play 45 more. Outside of the USA, it’s been a pretty successful formula.

That might be changing.

Last December, FIFA, the sanctioning body of soccer, and a notoriously clean, open, and above board organization, elected to hold the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, choosing it over the United States, where temperatures in the summer have been known to get to 120 degrees and above. At the time, viewers around the world were told of all of the innovative plans the Qatari organizers had for cooling the stadiums, to make sure no one keeled over and died in the middle of the match from dehydration.

Well, it appears Qatar may have oversold those plans by just a teeny-tiny amount. To the point where FIFA is considering radical changes, including holding the tournament in the winter. Now FIFA is floating the most radical idea yet; changing the format of a soccer match from 2 halves, to 3 periods of 30 minutes each.

Imagine the NBA changing the Finals to 6 8 minute periods, or the NFL making the Super Bowl 12 5 minute periods. This would be, in my opinion, the most ridiculous change to the rules in the history of organized soccer.

A legacy only Gary Bettman would be proud to have.*

*Or, FIFA took the money and ran

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So Qatar'd: Qatar Wins 2022 FIFA World Cup Bid

See that little thumb that's circled? 
It's the country hosting the 2022 World Cup.  Really.

As someone who is currently taking multiple courses on the Middle East and the Muslim World, I am less than giddy about FIFA's decision. Surprised about this decision? No. I saw this coming a mile away (don't believe me? I correctly called both bids last night on Twitter). Am I happy about this decision? Absolutely not. Qatar is far from an ideal country to host the World Cup.

Not that this will come to many people as a surprise, but it is truly amazing what can happen to those who pad the pockets of Sepp Blatter the most.

On the outside, it does seem like a progressive decision, but really, it's not. I wonder if FIFA has ever considered the problem that alcohol is an item that will be greatly consumed during World Cup games, but is also an item that is deeply frowned upon in Qatar. There will be some awkward moments for sure. Not to fear though. You can expect designated drinking zones during the World Cup time. Yay progressivism!

Also, what happens if Israel qualifies for the World Cup? Qatar has a terrible relationship with Israel. There is a chance that Israel could be played be forced to play their games in the deserts of Oman.

Aspeaking of the venues, this is no joke. Of the few stadiums that are currently erect in Qatar, all of them will be expanded. Of those that are not built, well, they will need building. And the cities. Currently, 5 of the 10 venues scheduled to host World Cup games are in Qatar's capital and largest city, Doha, a city which, by the way, has a population of less than a million. Qatar plans to put air conditioning in all the stadiums to prevent players from playing in the 111 degree heat of their summer time. For the sake of health of the players, I hope those air conditioners don't malfunction at any time.

The country is roughly the same size of Connecticut; how on earth do they have the capacity to accommodate the massive influx of people they will see in 2022.

I want to be happy for this Middle Eastern country, but really, there is too much working against it for me to be happy. Sepp Blatter has an agenda that most likely include rewarding people who make his pockets fatter immediately and winning a Nobel Peace Prize, both of which this could accomplish. What if the plans to build these facilities fall through?

And lastly (and my personal favorite), homosexuality is illegal in Qatar, punishable by a prison sentence of up to five years.

So, uh, congrats to FIFA on this very progressive decision?

Philadelphia One Of The 18 Cities Officially Included In The U.S. World Cup Bid

We know that the 2010 World Cup is in South African and the 2014 World Cup is in Brazil, but how cool would it be if the 2018 or 2022 World Cup came to the United States? It'd be pretty darn cool. And for me, it would be even cooler if the World Cup came to Philadelphia. Well, barring a change, it looks like the 2 will go hand-in-hand as Philadlphia is officially listed as one of the 18 cities in the United States' World Cup bid.

The other cities, you ask? Here they are via Total Soccer

The selected cities are Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Diego, Seattle, Tampa and Washington, D.C.

Now there is a chance that some of these could be weeded out as the process goes along, but barring a change if the U.S. wins the bid, then for the first time ever, the world's largest sporting event will host games right in my backyard at Lincoln Financial Field in Philly as Philly and Veterans Stadium were not a part of the United States hosting the 1994 World Cup.

Philly Is One-Step Closer To Hosting Some World Cup Matches

If you'll remember a couple of months ago, I posted a long list of cities that could potentially host a World Cup in the U.S. Well, the United States cut down the cities on the list to potentially host a 2018 or a 2022 to 27 and Philadelphia is still on the list. Then again, the only remaining cities that do not host an NFL team are Los Angeles and Orlando. But anyway, here is your list of 27 possible cities that could potentially host the 2018 or 2022 World Cup. From the Orlando Business Journal.

Along with Orlando, the other cities on the U.S. short list are: Los Angeles; Atlanta; Baltimore; Boston; Charlotte, N.C.; Chicago; Cleveland; Dallas; Denver; Detroit; Houston; Kansas City; Indianapolis; Jacksonville, Fla.; Miami; Nashville, Tenn.; New York City; Oakland; Philadelphia; Glendale-Phoenix, Ariz.; San Diego; San Francisco; Seattle; St. Louis; Tampa, Fla.; and Washington.

If by San Francisco they mean The Stadium Formerly Known As Candlestick Park, then surely the Linc would be in the top 12 or so, wouldn't it? I guess in the end, it's all a toss-up as to what FIFA is looking for. While some may say that Philadelphia should definitley be in it, I'm sure there are many others who would say "no way in Hell". The bad news is that we'll have to wait until December 2010 for FIFA to make a decision on the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

Is It Possible That Lincoln Financial Field Could Host Some World Cup Games In The Future?

I'm not sure how well known this is, but the U.S. has submitted a bit to host either the 2018 or 2022 World Cups, both of which will be announced in December of 2010 (the 2014 World Cup is in Brazil). And naturally, when one submits a bid, a big list of possible stadiums is needed. Well, as it turns out Lincoln Financial Field is being looked at as a definite possibility for 2018 or 2022. There was originally a list of 70 stadiums and out of those, 45 were contacted by the U.S. Bid Committee. And The Linc was in that list of stadiums that were contacted. Here's the list in full from MSNBC.com

Ann Arbor, Mich. (University of Michigan); Arlington Texas (Cowboys Stadium); Atlanta (Georgia Dome); Baltimore (M&T Bank Stadium); Birmingham, Ala. (Legion Field); Charlotte, N.C. (Bank of America Stadium); Chicago (Soldier Field); Cincinnati (Paul Brown Stadium); Cleveland (Cleveland Browns Stadium); Columbus, Ohio (Ohio Stadium);

Dallas (Cotton Bowl); Denver (Invesco Field); Detroit (Ford Field); East Rutherford, N.J. (new Meadowlands stadium); Fayetteville, Ark. (Reynolds Razorback Stadium); Foxborough, Mass. (Gillette Stadium); Glendale, Ariz. (University of Phoenix Stadium); Houston (Reliant Stadium);

Indianapolis, Ind. (Lucas Oil Stadium); Jacksonville, Fla. (Jacksonville Municipal Stadium);

Kansas City, Mo. (Arrowhead Stadium); Knoxville, Tenn. (Neyland Stadium); Landover, Md. (FedEx Field); Las Vegas (Sports City USA); Los Angeles (Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum); Miami (Land Shark Stadium); Minneapolis (Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome); Minneapolis (TCF Bank Stadium); Nashville, Tenn. (LP Field); New Orleans (Superdome);

Oakland, Calif. (Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum); Orlando, Fla. (Florida Citrus Bowl); Pasadena, Calif. (Rose Bowl); Philadelphia (Lincoln Financial Field); Pittsburgh (Heinz Field); St. Louis (Edward Jones Dome); Salt Lake City (Rice-Eccles Stadium); San Antonio, Texas (Alamodome); San Diego (Qualcomm Stadium); Stanford. Calif. (Stanford Stadium);

Seattle (Huskey Stadium); Seattle (Qwest Field); Tampa, Fla. (Raymond James Stadium); Tempe, Ariz. (Sun Devil Stadium); Washington (RFK Memorial Stadium)

I don't know, but I for one would be absolutely giddy if the U.S. got a future World Cup and if Philadelphia was one of the cities where games were played, especially seeing as Philadelphia was not included in the 1994 World Cup. And you have to wonder if the Linc, which will host 2 quarterfinal games in the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup, will be looked at in those games more in detail as a World Cup venue.