Source: Daily_Mail
England's bid to host the 2018 World Cup set to be hit by the big freeze
England's bid for the 2018 World Cup could be jeopardised by the fixture chaos caused by the worst British winter in nearly 30 years.[LNB] Arsenal's Barclays Premier League game against Bolton last night was postponed four hours before kick-off because the deluge of snow made it unsafe for supporters to travel to the Emirates Stadium.[LNB] Silenced Gunners: Arsenal's Emirates Stadium resembles a Christmas card scene after Wednesday's postponement[LNB] The first legs of both Carling Cup semi-finals were also postponed in midweek and, if meteorologists are right and the weather forces more postponements this weekend, it could put English football on collision course with UEFA.[LNB] Because FIFA have already demanded that European domestic leagues end on May 9 ahead of this summer's World Cup, Premier League officials fear they will have to take the unprecedented step of staging matches on the same night as Champions League games.[LNB] England's World Cup 2018 bid team hope that will not adversely influence UEFA, who command eight of the 24 votes that will determine the tournament's destination. But the Premier League are already on thin ice with European football's governing body after refusing to sign a memorandum of understanding demanding that all the European leagues abstain from staging matches on Champions League nights.[LNB] UEFA have contributed to the problem by spreading their last 16 fixtures over four consecutive weeks, while the Champions League final will take place on a Saturday for the first time this season.[LNB] The snow didn't stop them when they played in black and white: Tossing the coin in the snow before Arsenal v Man Utd in 1926 (left) was a bit tricky, while Spurs took on Burnley at the Lane in 1963 (below)[LNB] [LNB] [LNB] But there is a concern that UEFA president Michel Platini will react badly if the most prolonged period of freezing conditions in England since 1981 forces the Premier League to reschedule matches on big European nights.[LNB] The Premier League do have other possible dates in mind, but they clash with domestic competitions. March 24, April 14 and May 5 have been pencilled in as alternatives.[LNB] [LNB]WHY THEY ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIMEFrom the end of January, fixtures pile up with a mix of Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and international games.[LNB]If the Premier League want to appease UEFA and avoid scheduling the Arsenal v Bolton game when there are Champions League matches on, they only have three possible windows after the next fortnight, as our list illustrates:Week of Jan 25: Full Premier League programme.Week of Feb 1: Potential FA Cup replays.Week of Feb 8: Full Premier League programme.Weeks of Feb 15 and 22: Champions League last 16.Week of Mar 1: International breakWeeks of Mar 8 and 15: Champions League last 16.Week of Mar 22: Free.Weeks of Mar 29 and Apr 5: Champions League quarter-finals.Week of Apr 12: Free.Weeks of Apr 19 and 26: Champions Leaguesemi-finals.Week of May 3: Free.May 9: Premier League season ends.[LNB]But the situation could become more complicated if the likes of Arsenal continue to progress in domestic cup competitions and Europe.[LNB] January 14 has been pencilled in for the first leg of Blackburn's Carling Cup semi-final against Aston Villa, while the all-Manchester City-United first leg will be on January 19, with the second leg on January 27.[LNB] Meteorologists had advised Arsenal that the conditions would not affect their part of North London, but heavy snow started to fall yesterday afternoon, causing them to postpone the game.[LNB] A statement from Arsenal said: 'Despite making every effort to stage tonight's match, the sudden and unpredicted adverse change in weather conditions in the Highbury area has left us no choice but to postpone the fixture.[LNB] 'We apologise for any inconvenience this has caused and wish to state that this decision was not made lightly and supporters' safety and travel arrangements were major factors in our thinking. The club will announce the revised date for this match in due course.' [LNB] Celtic Cup clash at Morton hit by the big freeze: Rangers tie also in doubt Arsenal's clash with Bolton is latest match to fall victim to the snow English football is a financial mess and it's the worst it has been, claims Wenger[LNB] [LNB] Explore more:Places:London, United Kingdom, Europe
