Teams will be able to play friendlies on the same day as the opening of the World Cup

FIFA has just sent a very important circular with a view to the next Qatar World Cup. In it, he aims to clear up two questions related to the week before the World Cup event begins. Particularly since November 14, which is the date set for international liberalization

In 2015, the after FIFA Executive Committee established the period of preparation for world from November 14 to 20, 2022. This preparatory phase requires the mandatory release of all players by their clubs in the 32 participating national teams.

Around this time, FIFA makes two things clear. The first is that all players will be protected by the Club Protection Program, as well as at all times they remain in their choice of Qatar.

It should be noted that the Club Protection Program is the indemnity coverage for FIFA to clubs in case of injury to their players in national teams. In March 2019, the latest version was updated, which is valid until December 31 of this year and applies from the moment the player is injured in his national team and prevents him from playing for his club for more than 28 consecutive days.

The program pays up to a maximum compensation of 7,500,000 euros per football player and accident; with a daily proportion of 20,584 euros paid for a maximum of 365 days. The total limit amounts to 80,000,000 euros per year. The compensation is based on the fixed salary paid by the club to the footballer.

But it includes another element of enormous importance. Initially this period was from November 14 to 20 FIFA granted for friendly contention before the opening match of world which was initially set for November 21. Considering that these friendlies, many of them with teams that will not participate in the World Cup, will be the only sporting contact with the players from September 2022 to March 2023, encouraged he the federations to play them. The date includes November 20, which is finally set for the start of the World Cup. In other words, even on that day friendly matches can be played, even if the start of the World Cup is set at 7:00 pm And in all these encounters, make it clear FIFA that players will be protected by this club’s protection program. The circular textually states that “To support this process and ensure the clubs in question, FIFA has taken the extraordinary step of funding and expanding the scope of the CPP for all friendly matches that will take place between the 14 and 20 November 2022, ensuring the same level of protection as in a normal window” and also, regarding friendlies, making it clear that “the preparation period is not considered to be changed by the change in the opening date of the match of FIFA World Cup 2022, which starts at 7:00 pm on November 20, 2022, where the friendlies in question can be played up to and including this date.

Then all teams can schedule, if they consider it, a match for this day even if it coincides with the start of the World Cup event. Let’s not forget that FIFA presented one day the beginning that was originally planned for November 21, so that it is the Qatar-Ecuador the first clash of both, so the host country participates and instead of Senegal – Netherlands as the first set.