England will face stifling temperatures in USA, Canada and Mexico should they qualify for next summer’s World Cup and head coach Thomas Tuchel has urged organisers to shift kick-off times to help players cope with the heat
Thomas Tuchel admits he wants World Cup games to kick-off later – even if it means they start at 2am in UK time.
FIFA admitted this week that they are considering rescheduling games in the United States next summer to avoid the soaring temperatures which dogged last summer’s Club World Cup. They had been planning to put kick-off times at 12 noon and 3pm in the US even though it could mean games playing at 100 degrees-plus heat.
But now they are ready to push back times involving even the big European teams – even though that means they would kick-off late at night and also into the early hours. That would cause a major fan backlash and huge disappointment while also hitting takings in pubs and bars who may be able to open until 1am to show the football.
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But Tuchel insisted that his first priority is the welfare of his players and he also insisted that their performances would be adversely affected if they played in searing conditions. England boss Tuchel said: “I know the fans will not like it but for us it’s better if we play later, of course. For everyone it’s better to play later.
“It’s clear, for me, we have put the players first, because the players are the game and we have to protect the game. I’m not sure if the coaches have a big word on that. I think everyone is very clear about it.
“It could be midnight here, I understand that it’s bad for our fans, I understand it, it’s bad for the children, bad for the young people who go to school, very bad. There will be a lot of drop-outs the next day at school, I guess!”
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Tuchel says that the heat would be a huge disadvantage for England and he is already planning a special training camp in Miami to adjust before the tournament and has previously hinted they may have to change their playing style to cope.
He added: “Straight away everyone will make the point the others also play in the heat… it would be a disadvantage for us, for sure. Would we adapt to it, if we have to? Yes. Would we use it as an excuse? No.
“Would we still prefer to play in the evening, when shade is on the pitch, yes, for sure. It’s just proven, you see more intensive runs, you see more high-intensity runs, you see more recovery runs, you see a more intense game. Earlier, it becomes slower, and less quality.”