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Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge Says April Qatar Cup 'Least Painful' Option

Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, "the most powerful man in European club football," urged FIFA to accept the “least painful” option of bringing the Qatar World Cup forward to April in '22, according to Oliver Kay of the LONDON TIMES. FIFA "will hold a Qatar 2022 task force meeting in Zurich on Monday as it looks for a resolution to the crisis surrounding the tournament." Both FIFA and UEFA "are pushing for the finals to be moved to winter to avoid playing in the fierce summer heat of Qatar," but the European Club Association, chaired by Rummenigge, will lobby instead for the tournament to be run from late April to the end of May. Such a plan would involve the European club season finishing by early April, "to allow at least a three-week build-up and might still involve playing the tournament in temperatures as high as 35C, but the ECA considers this preferable to the disruption that would come with a winter World Cup." Rummenigge said, “At the moment there are two proposals on the table: the FIFA proposal in November and the UEFA proposal in January. Our proposal is a bit different. We will publish that in the next days. We have made some research ... and the outcome of this research is that the best option would be to start the World Cup at the end of April, finishing in May. ... It would be nonsense to play in summer in 50 degrees -- impossible -- but we have to find the solution that is least painful for the leagues and especially the clubs. Our proposal is to start the [club] season earlier" (LONDON TIMES, 10/29).

THINK IT THROUGH: Also in London, Oliver Kay wrote Rummenigge urged Premier League clubs "to think very carefully before contemplating a renewed bid to stage matches overseas." Premier League clubs discussed a revival of the controversial “international round” proposal, where one round of matches each season would be played in cities all over the world, but Rummenigge believes that European football should safeguard its traditions rather than “always spreading out more and more regarding the financial things.” Rummenigge: “Maybe in this I’m a bit romantic or nostalgic. Maybe it’s because I played football in a period that was different from today, but there’s always a responsibility to the fans. Maybe it’s a good marketing tool, but I’m convinced that fans in England wouldn’t like it" (LONDON TIMES, 10/29).

NOT MUCH SENSE: ESPN's Dermot Corrigan wrote Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti said that it is impossible to keep FIFA President Sepp Blatter quiet, "while backing Cristiano Ronaldo to win this year's Ballon d'Or award." Blatter claimed that "Germany and Bayern Munich goalkeeper Manuel Neuer should have won the Golden Ball prize." This has been taken by some as Blatter suggesting that "Neuer now deserves to win the 2014 Ballon D'Or award." Ancelotti said: "It always surprises me what he [Blatter] does, but what are we going to do. It is impossible to shut up the FIFA president. This is a matter which is always talked about. It is Cristiano's year, he is scoring goals and winning important trophies, so there is no doubt that he is the Ballon d'Or. So [Blatter's] words do not make much sense" (ESPN, 10/29).

Photo by: Russia 2018
RUSSIA 2018: The CHINA DAILY reported Blatter "revealed the logo for the 2018 World Cup in Russia with the help of a crew of cosmonauts." The logo "depicts the World Cup trophy in red and blue, colors from the Russian flag, with gold trim." Unveiling the logo on a Russian state TV talk show, Blatter said the logo would show Russia's "heart and spirit." It "was then presented over video link" by a crew of three Russian cosmonauts on the Int'l Space Station. Simultaneously with the logo's appearance on TV, "it was beamed onto Moscow's Bolshoi Theatre as part of a light show" (CHINA DAILY, 10/29).

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