![]() ![]() If you talk to the managers of the national teams, it is better to have two, three weeks to run up.”īeyond the sporting debate is an ethical one, as outlined here. “For the players, it’s better to have proper preparation before the World Cup starts. “To award a World Cup to a country with less of a football background, or a different time of the year, we shall we how it goes,” he says. But he returns to the sense this is an imperfect setting. There has been a precedence for soaring temperatures and he accepts the World Cup hasn’t always accommodated all, noting Scandinavian and South American leagues run in European summer. Qatar was selected by FIFA and then everybody had to figure out how to make it work then? “I think so, yeah, and that is not fair,” he says. You gotta change how it was awarded from the summer to the winter.” He adds: “It is a different time from 12 years ago - or six, seven years ago. At a certain point (March 2015) they moved from the summer to the winter, ‘What does it mean for leagues, for competitions, for players?’.” Then negotiations started, ‘What can we do about it?’. I have been in the summer to Dubai, for example, it is hot. “Once FIFA awarded the World Cup to Qatar, ‘OK - in the middle of the summer?’. “I am vice-chairman of the ECA, of course we discussed that part,” he says. The primary focus for European clubs is the month-long disruption to domestic campaigns that were just getting going. So it is a new adventure to the Middle East, the Arabic world, they have put a lot of time and money into it to prepare. You travel between different cities and that brings something also. “I have been to Brazil as a fan, in 2014. ![]() I am not sure how they are gonna fill it with all the fans. We played in one of the stadiums, they are huge. “I have been to Qatar before, we had a couple of training camps with Ajax, it is compact. “Yeah, it is strange,” he says of a winter World Cup. Discovering the feelings towards the tournament that is now upon us in Al-Khelaifi’s country is the purpose of our journey across the continent and Van der Sar offers a voice of rare experience as a former player and current club executive. Ultimately, Paris Saint-Germain’s Nasser Al-Khelaifi was elected, crystallising Qatar’s prominence in the global football landscape. ![]() Van der Sar’s status in the global game has also grown, to the extent he was seen as a contender to assume the role of chairman of the ECA, which represents more than 200 clubs from 55 UEFA member associations, when Andrea Agnelli of Juventus resigned in attempting to launch the Super League in April 2021. Ajax have won the last three Eredivisie titles, too. Under his stewardship, Ajax, managed by Erik ten Hag, reached the Champions League semi-finals in 2019 and thrilled in winning all six group games last season. He started as marketing director in 2012 and was appointed chief executive in 2016. ![]() Various trophies line the windowsills and propped up on a wall is a gift: Van der Sar’s cards for the FIFA computer game, his rating of 91 a modern nod to the standards he once hit as a player. There are large photographs of famous Ajax moments from the 1970s, and on a ledge in a glass case are Van der Sar’s goalkeeper jersey and gloves from the victorious 1995 Champions League final. Compare Standard and Premium Digital here.Īny changes made can be done at any time and will become effective at the end of the trial period, allowing you to retain full access for 4 weeks, even if you downgrade or cancel.Laurie Whitwell and Nick Miller chat to Edwin van der Sar You may also opt to downgrade to Standard Digital, a robust journalistic offering that fulfils many user’s needs. If you’d like to retain your premium access and save 20%, you can opt to pay annually at the end of the trial. If you do nothing, you will be auto-enrolled in our premium digital monthly subscription plan and retain complete access for $69 per month.įor cost savings, you can change your plan at any time online in the “Settings & Account” section. For a full comparison of Standard and Premium Digital, click here.Ĭhange the plan you will roll onto at any time during your trial by visiting the “Settings & Account” section. Premium Digital includes access to our premier business column, Lex, as well as 15 curated newsletters covering key business themes with original, in-depth reporting. Standard Digital includes access to a wealth of global news, analysis and expert opinion. During your trial you will have complete digital access to FT.com with everything in both of our Standard Digital and Premium Digital packages. ![]()
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