football to become a summer sport...

[WhiteJC]

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/3363170/Michel-Platini-planning-to-turn-football-into-a-summer-sport.html

Michel is such a stupid Plat

FIFA bosses are working on a secret plan to turn football into a summer sport.
Their new season would extend from March to October.

UEFA president Michel Platini is leading the push for the introduction of a controversial international calendar throughout the soccer world.

And the proposals for the revolutionary changes are already well under way at FIFA's Swiss HQ.

Platini's shock idea will mean that, from 2015, major tournaments such as the World Cup, European Championships and African Nations Cup would be staged in February and March.

And to accommodate the upheaval, every league in the world would be forced to cram their domestic season into a 7½-month period between mid-March and the end of October.

That would leave a six-week period from November to mid-December for international qualifying games followed by a complete four-week rest for every player until mid-January.

It is not the first time French legend Platini has tried to shake up world football. A similar hair-brained scheme was dumped in 1998 after objections from Italy and Spain over playing in the summer.

Now, though, Platini has dusted his plans down and is confident of getting enough votes from FIFA executive committee members worldwide to force the changes through.

The idea of an international calendar has gained strength within world football's governing body ever since they controversially voted to hand the 2022 World Cup finals to Qatar.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has already admitted it will be virtually impossible to put on football's showpiece during the traditional June and July thanks to the Gulf state's unbearable summer heat.

The adoption of Platini's calendar would be the perfect solution to Qatar's problem of staging an indoor World Cup in air-conditioned stadia.

Yet the plans are certain to face massive opposition from England's top clubs, as well as the other major European leagues.

A Premier League insider said: "There is no possibility we could accept this idea. Football in England has been a winter sport for the past 140 years and there is no way we could suddenly just switch to playing in summer.

"Apart from the years of tradition, you would also have to consider the devastating effect it would have on other sports such as cricket and rugby league.

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"If this proposal was adopted by FIFA, it would also be virtually impossible for the Premier League to continue its present 20-team format.

"It is hard enough to fit all the Premier League fixtures into the current 36-week season, because of increasing demands from UEFA for international and European dates.

"But if the season was switched from March to October, it would give us just 32 weeks to accommodate 38 League fixtures as well as the FA Cup, Carling Cup, Champions League and Europa League."

Bundesliga president Reinhard Rauball also declared: "There can be no such revolutionary change without the five major European leagues being part of the agreement.

"I am against it and I can hardly imagine the British agreeing."

A spokesman for the European Professional Football Leagues admitted: "It would certainly appear to be very difficult for certain European leagues to play their seasons in July and August."

Platini is expected to propose his plan for formal adoption later in the year, after he has been re-elected UEFA president in March and Blatter has been re-elected FIFA supremo in June.

[FatFreddysCat]

Must admit i'd rather go to the Cottage on a nice summers day than it being minus 3 and pissing down  :008:

[sipwell]

Must admit i'd rather go to the Cottage on a nice summers day than it being minus 3 and pissing down  :008:

+1

I tend to prefer to sit in the stands (of my Belgian team) when the sun is shining rather than when it is -5...

[The Doctor]

Just seen that article myself.  Blatter, Platini and co after more attention I see.  Idiots.

Football seasons differ simply because of local climatic and sporting conditions, as is pointed out in that article.  I can't see Turkey or Greece embracing the idea of a summer season.  Glad to see the PL are at least aware of the potential for knock-on effects to other sports, and that the Germans aren't keen.  Get the Spanish and Italians on board, and overthrow these pillocks before they decide that playing in low-gravity conditions on the moon would be in the game's best interests...

[Jimpav]

It's all very well standing on ther banks of the Thames enjoying a beer in the sunshine at half time but I would rather trade this off and have something to do in the winter when I can't get out in the garden or it's to cold to leave the house (Home matches excluded).

You can have the costa del cottage experience in May, August and September - so much so that I even got sunburnt at our home match against the squatters a couple of seasons ago.

[Lighthouse]

I have always maintained we should have football in the Summer.

But not the mens game.

Why not play the womens league during the Summer. Most people will always want to watch football and having the Womens  League play will mean they will have better crowds and the game will not be competing with the usual male dominated news.

[AlFayedsChequebook]

Meh.

[King_Crud]

my playing and watching of cricket would mean goodbye to football for me. I might catch MOTD if i'm up.

[Rambling_Syd_Rumpo]

 Platini can feck right off,the Spanish wouldn't have it,the  Italians won't have it-it would just be too hot over there  :dead horse: :dead horse:,he should carry on kissing Blatter's fat arse and leave football to those who know what they are talking about!!!

[jarv]

Will never get off the drawing board.

Having said that, I occasionaly watch MLS games in summer in Boston. It is pleasant sitting in burning heat in t shirt and shorts but I am convinced the quality of the football is seriously affected by the heat. I have seen some absolutely dreadful games, really slow, little movement off the ball.

[finnster01]

Will never get off the drawing board.

Having said that, I occasionaly watch MLS games in summer in Boston. It is pleasant sitting in burning heat in t shirt and shorts but I am convinced the quality of the football is seriously affected by the heat. I have seen some absolutely dreadful games, really slow, little movement off the ball.

Somehow I can't imagine Mr Foulke enjoying playing summer football.

Unfortunately he played in a time when Slim Like Jim wasn't invented yet...

http://img.metro.co.uk/i/pix/galleries/fatfootballers/WilliamFattyFoulke_206x350.jpg

[duffbeer]

Ironic considering the number of times FIFA, Blabber in particular, has criticized the USA/Canada for having a March - October MLS season.   So will they have this schedule in 2018 so the WC can be played in the winter in Russia.  It's such a joke.

[King_Crud]

Will never get off the drawing board.

Having said that, I occasionaly watch MLS games in summer in Boston. It is pleasant sitting in burning heat in t shirt and shorts but I am convinced the quality of the football is seriously affected by the heat. I have seen some absolutely dreadful games, really slow, little movement off the ball.

yeah I used to be a Sydney FC season ticket holder in oz. Great to go to the football when it's 30 degrees, wearing shorts, with a beer in your hand. But the footballers can get very sluggish. Maybe that's also down to the quality of the A-League?

[HatterDon]

That is the MAIN reason why MLS teams play at a slower pace. Cheer up when it happens. At least London heat isn't anywhere near Dallas or Kansas City heat.

I remember seeing an English documentary on the USAAF 8th Airforce where there was a sign on an American base that read: "I never spent a winter as cold as the summer I spent in England.

[nevzter]

I remember seeing an English documentary on the USAAF 8th Airforce where there was a sign on an American base that read: "I never spent a winter as cold as the summer I spent in England.

Nice.  I thought that the coldest winter you'll ever experience is a summer in San Francisco...