Selling football's soul to the highest bidder

The bleating by English football’s top bods about Qatar 2022 continues unabated.
First it was so unfair that our over-paid and under-achieving multi-millionaire footballers would have to play in pretty extreme temperatures.
It seems to have been a real shock to many people that it’s quite hot in the Middle East in the summer. I believe it can also get a bit chilly in the Arctic in November.
In response to bleating, Round 1, FIFA set up a taskforce which last week recommended a November/December tournament rather than the traditional June/ July.
And a few days later FIFA president Sepp Blatter said that the 2022 World Cup final should be played no later than 18 December. This all sounds rather sensible.
But not to the English game, it seems. Bring on bleating, Round 2.
English Football Association chairman Greg Dyke said he would do all he could to “protect the traditional Christmas period for club matches”.
And the Premier League’s Richard Scudamore said "we've got to make sure we keep the Christmas and New Year programme intact."
That’s the same Richard Scudamore who has been happy to prostitute the Premier League fixture list to fit in with broadcasters who have paid billions for the rights to show matches – you know who you are, SKY and BT Sport.
Games are now played on Saturdays, Sundays, Mondays and even some Wednesdays – and not all at 3pm, purely to fit in with the TV schedulers.
The same goes for FA Cup games, now back with the BBC. I’m old enough to remember all matches kicking-off at 3pm – no matter who the teams were. Now they are played over several days, again at several different times.
This moaning about protecting the sacred Christmas/ New Year Premier League fixtures is simply a red herring.
Firstly, any player representing their country will be back in Blighty no later than December 19 – or the end of November if playing for England. That’s enough time to get over the jet lag.
And secondly, Premier League squads are large enough to withstand a few players being tired and emotional after yet another poor World Cup showing.
The only conclusion I can draw from all this is that selling your soul to broadcasters and allowing them to change the fixture list at will is OK but moving the biggest tournament in the world to a more sensible time is not.