Former England international Phil Neville believes that a winter World Cup in Qatar in 2022 would give the Three Lions a great chance of winning the tournament.
FIFA is mulling over the possibility of holding its showpiece event in the winter in 2022, a departure from its traditional summer schedule, due to the infeasibility of holding the month-long tournament in the searing Qatari heat during June-July.
England, the World Cup winners in 1966, have suffered in the prestigious tournament in recent editions having failed to reach the semi-finals since Italy 1990. In Brazil last summer, Roy Hodgson’s men failed to progress beyond the group stage.
The tight fixture schedule in England’s domestic competitions is often blamed by pundits as a possible reason for the Three Lions' dismal showing at the global tournament.
And Neville believes that a winter World Cup might just be the tonic England need to do well in the prestigious tournament.
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“From an English point of view, If was Roy Hodgson I would be thinking brilliant we have now got a chance to win a major tournament because for the first time ever we have got the chance to go into a tournament with a fit, fresh team”, Neville told BBC Sport.
However, the former Manchester United first team regular believes that the winter tournament will affect England’s domestic football fixtures.
And he adds that the FA Cup might need to sacrifice replays in order to work around the winter World Cup.
“The FA Cup worries me a little bit because I think you will go to the point where may be something will have to give in the fixture schedule.
“The Premier League won't give they will have the same 38 matches, whereas the FA Cup replays might have to be sacrificed which would be a shame because it is a fantastic competition.”
With more than seven years still to go before the 2022 World Cup kicks-off, Neville feels that there is sufficient time for the stakeholders in English football to work out a plan which keeps everybody, who is involved in the game, happy.
“But I think it is up to the Premier League and the FA and to over the next few years work out the best possible plan so that no one suffers.
“So that everybody club wise, managers, owners are getting everything that they want in terms of the correct amount of fixtures, the current of times with their players, the correct amount of time afterwards, so that the players are recovered from going into the World Cup.
“So that the Premier League gets the chance to still be one of the best leagues in the world.”
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