to dread the prospect of the World Cup colliding with the run up to Christmas

[chocciechip]

"The Fifa task force looking into dates for the Qatar World Cup has recommended a shorter tournament to be staged in November and December 2022, the head of the Asian Football Confederation has confirmed, while unconfirmed reports have suggested that the final will be held the day before Christmas Eve."

www.theguardian.com/football/2015/feb/24/fifa-world-cup-2022-qatar-november-december-task-force

I can just picture DH's glazed over face gawping at TV all day while we need to do last minute shopping, wrapping, etc or I need help with the DCs. Or the constant irritation of trying to communicate with him at this time with his head plugged into earphones listening to matches on the radio. Or our family conversation in our infrequent extended family get togethers competing with a loud TV on in the corner of the room.

And I wonder (given that domestic abuse is said to accompany football) how many women and their children will have utterly crap Christmases.

WorraLiberty:

I concur. Those who seem fixated on and have been completely sucked in by the commercialisation of Christmas are usually too joyless/narrow minded to realise following sport is fun. Quite ironic really, when you think about it.

Cheers!

Your Christmas is definitely more of an event.

YANBU.

DH is nothing like that generally. If he was, how likely do you think it would be that I would find him an attractive life-partner?

Qatar is 3 hours ahead of the UK, so not the end of the world, but I think it won't happen. I'm sure the FA and lots of other football associations will object to losing their star players for a big chunk of the season, because their income will be reduced. I think UEFA will make a stand and it will move to another country.

Choccie if you're married to a Scotland fan the hype and World Cup angst will be over before it's begun

Oh my god...I've just worked out my dd will be 21 by then!

Gaaaaaaaaahhhhhh

I need to go and lie down

You're worried about 2022?! Its 7 years away?! Crazy person...

I hate football, Dh and two sons are not fans of the game , but will watch the England games in the world cup - lets just hope they don't qualify, the whole thing will just be shown on Sky sports channels ( which we don't have) and Christmas will roll along as it always does. I have a feeling the European teams will cause total uproar over this anyway and it will go back to the drawing board - Qatar shouldn't have been chosen in the first place according to many ( I listen to five live, have no interest in sport though!)

So Christmas is all about you and your family OP?

If you've been doing the same thing for 20 years, I'm sure you'll manage in 7 years time.

These things get easier and easier since we have the internet anyway.

England may not even qualify so you may be fine.

Btw OP, is your DH the type that wears football shirts on holiday?

I'm unlikely to be dreading a World Cup dominated Christmas on behalf of someone else and their family, am I?

My DH wouldn't be seen dead in a football shirt.

Its pathetic to let football dominate your life and the result of a game worry you. Repeat to myself all day. More so towards 7.45.

I have tickets, it's part of my contract. Without being drawn into anything, the whole issue of workers is much more complicated than the British media report. Same as the workers on the London Olympics or the limitless illegal immigrants cleaning the 5 star hotels in London. Qatar is a small place and has the burden of being rich, new and Muslim which are all hated by the British media. I find Dubai pretty repugnant and can't wait to leave this secondment and return to Doha.

Idontsee - totally!!

I have to confess I didn't notice the 2022 bit when I posted. All I saw was the "final to be played the day before Christmas Eve" and I got sidetracked into 'Fuck. No!!'

It would still be crap (for me and my family ) in 2022 though.

And it turns out IABU: I just asked DH what he thought of the news and his immediate comment was "great Christmas for some and a really crap Christmas for the rest". I think I misjudged him - even if it is the World Cup.

Christmas doesn't have to be a 'commercial' experience. For me it's a brilliant time of the year with my family. DH told me this year that he hated Christmas growing up but loves Christmas with our family. We make a big effort to do things together.

Out of interest, are premier league managers legally obliged to release players to International teams? Because I can see that one going down like a sack of bricks so soon after the start of the season. The CEO of the Premier League is apparently 'disappointed' at FIFA's recommendations already.

Stop it with the football shirts comments, I often wear them on holiday they are brilliant for camping since they wash and dry so easily. You will always find me in a football shirt when pitching the tent.

But it ends before Christmas. So how does it affect christmas in any way

I hate the run up to Christmas. It might just make it bearable, and the league season might be extended into the summer thus avoiding football less months but I doubt it will happen. Qatar won the bid on the basis of a summer tournament.

There were loads of events in the summer in the stadia it was 45 outside and bloody freezing under the cloud. We had to go home for coats.

If you start shopping and wrapping now you should not have do any last minute stuff!! Seriously, is that all you have to worry about!!!

It might be a bit early now to start buying and wrapping for Christmas 2022, Patsy...