FIFA secretary general, Jerome Valcke, has disclosed that European football clubs would not receive financial compensation for the 2022 World Cup being moved to the winter.
A FIFA task force had recommended that the tournament earmarked to hold in Qatar be played in November and December.
Major clubs in England, Germany and France, have already expressed their displeasure with the switch recommended by the task force, amid speculation that some would seek financial redress for the decision. But Valcke is not buying into that.
“There will be no compensation. There are seven years to reorganise,” he told a Doha press conference.
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“Why are we talking about compensation? It’s happening once, we’re not destroying football.
“Why should we apologise to the clubs? We have had an agreement with the clubs that they are part of the beneficiaries. It was $40m (£26m) in 2010 and $70m (£45m) in 2014. We are bringing all our people to enjoy the sporting and financial results of the World Cup.”
The task force made a recommendation for the World Cup to start on November 26 and end on December 23, 2022, which will disrupt the domestic European leagues.
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A final decision will be made by the FIFA executive committee when they meet in Zurich, Switzerland, on March 19-20.
Meanwhile, the 2021 Confederations Cup will not be held in Qatar according to Valcke who said the tournament, though, will be played “in an Asian country”, but not Qatar which has been ruled out because of its climate.
The Confederations Cup, which pits the following year’s World Cup hosts and the World Cup holders with the champions of the six FIFA confederations, is traditionally held in the country that will stage the next year’s World Cup.
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