December World Cup in 2022 Could Force Permanent Winter Break in Premier League

The announcement on Tuesday that the 2022 FIFA World Cup, to be held in Qatar, would take place in November and December has annoyed the Premier League and will cause disruption to the usual calendar during that campaign.

As per ESPN FC, Richard Scudamore is "unhappy" with the decision and claimed that the dates selected would cause alterations to domestic leagues but not the Champions League: "Very disappointed—that's the word, I think, on behalf of all the European leagues and particularly the European clubs who provide most of the players for this World Cup."

Further, Scudamore is said to feel "let down" by UEFA over the decision.

"

Heading out for a cup of tea with Richard Scudamore. I'll let you know if he says anything interesting!

— Richard Keys (@richardajkeys) February 24, 2015"

While Premier League fans will await to see what changes happen during that particular campaign, it is a move which may well finally force the advent of a winter break on the Premier League; the last remaining major European league which does not take time off around the new year period.

Arguments Against: Invalid

The Premier League, and plenty of its supporters, have long resisted a winter break. Of course, when most nations are heading into their two-week (or longer) hiatus, the top flight in England is gearing up for its busiest spell, a period over Christmas and new year when teams can easily play eight games in less than 30 days.

Tom Dulat/Getty Images

For that season at least, the league can forget about any games in November and December, and quite possibly a portion of January too.

Rest and recovery time for the players will be paramount, as well as preparation time for teams, both international and club, once the chosen representatives join up and depart the World Cup scene.

"

FIFA Task Force has recommended the 2022 Qatar World Cup should be played in November & December - reaction on #SSNHQ pic.twitter.com/Imc1RQiTlP

— Sky Sports News HQ (@SkySportsNewsHQ) February 24, 2015"

There will be plenty of dissenting voices still, and the overall farce of the entire campaign over the 2022 World Cup hosts remains completely with merit—but the arguments might as well stop now. The decision is taken, the World Cup will be played in winter.

Restructuring Season

The league will face the question now of how and when to arrange the 2022-23 season, which seems some distance off still but will roll around quickly, and teams will need ample preparation time to decide how the schedule and demands will affect their squads, their pre-season plans and more.

Of course, there will be a lengthened end to the season, but common sense suggests that the campaign should also start earlier than usual, to remove any chance of the following season being unduly affected.

Jon Super/Associated Press

A mid-July start still leaves two months between the end of '21-22 and the start of '22-23—time for a break and pre-season—while it seems likely that by the end of October at the latest, the break will begin. Assuming a mid-January resumption, the season could easily extend into June.

With all the usual fixtures to be shoehorned in, a question must be asked: For this campaign at least, might the League Cup—the Capital One Cup this season, perhaps the NatWest, the Starbucks or the Cadbury's Roses Cup by then—be called off to ease the congestion somewhat?

Further, could it indeed signify the death knell of a competition which has been gradually ignored and treated as a training ground for youngsters and fringe players over the past few years?

Wait, or Acclimatise Before?

One final big question for the Premier League to consider most carefully is whether the 2022-23 season will be the first time that the English league has the winter break.

Afterward, expect there to be reams of analysis and statistics over how the winter break (for the players not involved at the World Cup) benefited hugely the performance and the fitness of players and, thus, renewed calls for a permanent break at some point.

However, beforehand is another matter. Having a winter break brought in perhaps the season or two prior to the World Cup could give teams and players the chance to begin to prepare for what is coming—the players in the English national team, barring foreign transfers between now and then, will never have had a winter break in their careers to adjust to.

One crazy, much-argued-against World Cup process might well end up having the biggest impact on the English game of any rule or change in the sport over the last few years.

Follow @karlmatchett