Gareth Southgate hopes coaches are consulted over how the Qatar World Cup in 2022 is fitted around the club season – but says similar decisions in the past have been made without their input.
The England manager is now preparing in earnest for those finals after discovering his side will face Poland, Hungary, Albania, Andorra and San Marino in qualification, with the first matches taking place in March next year, in the run-up to the rescheduled Euro 2020.
Southgate knows there will be challenges over how England and other nations prepare for both competitions, with the Middle East tournament set to create havoc for the club game as it takes place in November and December.
“I spoke before about the missed opportunity I felt given where that World Cup sits to juggle the whole calendar really – the UEFA calendar and the individual leagues,” he said.
“I would hope that within all the discussions that coaches are consulted. It doesn’t have to be me, but maybe coaches of the big clubs, maybe all the national managers, whatever it might be.
“I know Arsene Wenger is heavily involved at FIFA so I have confidence that he is going to put the right sorts of arguments on the table and think about player welfare, because I know he’ll be thinking about that.
“But generally speaking a lot of those decisions are made without the input of coaches I have to say. It wouldn’t be clear to me exactly how all those decisions join up across the different federations and the different associations really.”
Republic boss Stephen Kenny said: “Portugal are the European champions and the Nations League champions. Serbia, of course, have a great pedigree. Luxembourg are a vastly improved team and Azerbaijan, so it’s an exciting group.”
The 10 group winners qualify for the finals with a further three teams qualifying via the play-offs to be played in March 2022.
The play-offs will be a 12-team tournament comprised of the 10 group runners-up plus the two highest-ranked teams from the Nations League who did not finish in the top two of any group.
The 12 teams will be split into three paths, with the winner of each securing qualification.
