Echoes of 2002 suggest this World Cup may be hard to call

If only Sepp Blatter hadn't pulled Qatar's name out of the hat on that December day in 2010.

We'd now be mulling over the completion of the group games in the UEFA Nations League. The qualifying draw for Euro 2024 would still be a few weeks way, while two matchdays in the Champions League group stage would still remain.

The footballing world, it would seem, is in a terrible state of chassis against the backdrop of this winter World Cup. It's a step into the unknown for players and management, in that there's little prep time as compared to the normal summer World Cup where a 31-day run-in has been the average since 1990

Of the 832 players heading to Qatar, 417 ply their trade in Europe's top five leagues, with the Premier League accounting for 136 of the latter total. It was only last weekend that action paused in the aforementioned leagues, so leaving precious little time to fine-tune preparations.

Some countries are getting in one friendly ahead of their opening game in the Gulf State; others, namely England, are bypassing that option.

FIFPRO, the organisation representing professional footballers worldwide, in a report published this week, has criticised the timing of Qatar 2022, highlighting the increased risk of injury and stress due to a packed schedule.

"After a packed first half to the current league season, the average preparation and recovery time for many players will be seven and eight days, respectively, about four times less than usual," the report said.

"This is likely to increase the risk of muscle injuries and mental stress. Significantly reduced preparation and recovery periods before and after this World Cup pose an ominous threat to player health and hinder performance optimisation."

The report also analysed