KEIR RADNEDGE REPORTING —- The latest, and almost certainly not the last, twist down the 12-year road to the World Cup in Qatar has seen the kickoff brought forward 24 hours.

Gianni Infantino, president of world football federation FIFA, and the leaders of the six regional confederations have agreed to shift the opening match and ceremony at the Al Bayt Stadium so hosts Qatar will start ‘their’ controversial tournament against Ecuador on November 20.

The match between Senegal and Netherlands, which had been scheduled on 21 November, hours earlier than Qatar-Ecuador, will kick off later in the originally scheduled November 21 slot.

In effect, the comparatively smooth reorganisation has been possible because no teams involving a high number of European-based players are involved.

The final round of European league fixtures before the World Cup takes place on the previous weekend. Several Ecuador internationals based in Europe will have only six days to prepare for the tournament, fewer than any others involved in the World Cup.

The obvious question is why no-one within FIFA or the organising Supreme Committee spotted the time/date howler before the draw for the finals in Doha on April 1.

A FIFA statement said:

The FIFA World Cup 2022™ will kick off with an even greater celebration for local and international fans as host country Qatar will now play Ecuador on Sunday, 20 November at 19:00 as part of a stand-alone event.

The opening match and ceremony of this year’s tournament at Al Bayt Stadium have been brought forward one day following a unanimous decision taken by the Bureau of the FIFA Council today. Consequently, the encounter between Senegal and the Netherlands has been rescheduled from 13:00 to 19:00 on Monday, 21 November.

The change ensures the continuity of a long-standing tradition of marking the start of the FIFA World Cup™ with an opening ceremony on the occasion of the first match featuring either the hosts or the defending champions.

The decision followed an assessment of the competition and operational implications, as well as a thorough consultation process and an agreement with key stakeholders and the host country.

The release period, as previously decided and as governed by the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players, will remain unchanged, beginning on 14 November 2022.

Ticket holders will be duly notified by email that the relevant matches have been rescheduled and their tickets will remain valid irrespective of the new date/time. In addition, FIFA will seek to address any issues arising from this change in a case-by-case basis.

One issue yet to resolved concerns Ecuador’s very presence in Qatar which was awarded hosting rights back in December 2010.

The Chilean federation has objected on the basis that Ecuador fielded an ineligble player against them during the South American quaifying campaign.

FIFA has already rejected the claim which the Chileans subsequently registered with the Court of Aribitration for Sport.

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