A hundred days before the start of the World Cup, the launch of the symbolic count celebrated Friday rather than Saturday by Fifa and Qatar was disrupted by the decision to bring forward the start of the tournament by one day.
Thursday evening, the Office of the Council of Fifa and the local organizers endorsed “on a unanimous decision” this change.
“We ensure the continuity of a long tradition (…) with an opening ceremony featuring, on the occasion of the first match, the hosts or the defending champions”, underlined the International Federation.
The match between the host country and Ecuador, initially scheduled for November 21, will therefore take place the day before at 7 p.m. local time (4 p.m. GMT) at the Al Bayt stadium in Al Khor, north of Doha, while the match between Senegal in the Netherlands, originally scheduled as the first match of the tournament at 1:00 p.m. local time (10:00 GMT) on Monday November 21, has been moved to 7:00 p.m.
Due to the change, “J-100” events have been hastily moved forward from Saturday to Friday in the emirate of 2.8 million people, regarding 90 percent of whom are foreigners.
Both FIFA and Qatar have promised to help fans, sponsors and broadcasters affected by the change. A promise but no concrete details.
It’s a further pitfall for organizers as the host country grapples with criticism over its human rights record (relating to migrant workers and the criminalization of homosexuality) and concerns from wondering fans. on their living conditions.
“There are less than three months left before the start. It came out of nowhere. It’s not critical, but it’s a headache,” said the executive of a TV broadcaster, speaking under covered with anonymity.
– “Case-by-case” assistance –
Fifa wanted to reassure ticket holders for the matches concerned, “valid whatever the new date/time”, the Federation adding that it “will seek to resolve on a case-by-case basis all the problems arising from this change”.
A change “welcomed” by Qatar, which has spent billions of dollars on the event since its designation as host country in 2010. Local organizers have called it “an opportunity of a lifetime” for “our proud nation”. to play the opening game that “the world will be watching”.
“The impact of this decision on fans has been assessed by FIFA. We will work together to ensure a smooth tournament for fans affected by the change,” the organizers added in a statement.
Some Ecuadorian fans may have to change flights to arrive in Qatar earlier and the date change might lead to changes in commercial contracts.
Ricardo Fort, a sports industry consultant and former head of sports marketing for Coca Cola – a major FIFA sponsor – said the date change would be “a huge problem for sponsors”.
“Invitations have been made, flights and hotels have been booked, the necessary logistics have been programmed. Imagine (that it takes) everything to change!” Fort wrote on Twitter.
Companies linked to this first World Cup in an Arab country, however, expressed confidence that any disruption would be overcome.
“It’s something we’re going to deal with,” said Jaime Byrom, chairman of Match Hospitality, which has a contract with FIFA to organize hospitality packages and manages a portfolio of 450,000 tickets.
“It’s really not a particularly big problem, compared to other challenges we might have faced or have faced in the past,” Byrom told AFP. “We will look into the case of our Ecuadorian customers and make sure they are on time for the match.”
Fifa had already taken an important step by scheduling its major tournament for the first time during the winter to avoid the oppressive heat of Qatar in the summer.
The main criticisms aimed at the tournament, however, relate to Qatar’s treatment of migrant workers and the rights of LGBTQ visitors. Homosexuality is illegal in this country, while the consumption of alcohol is strictly regulated.
Fifa President Gianni Infantino nevertheless regularly assures that this tournament will be the “best” World Cup.
