World Cup 2022: Wales chief has concerns over June schedule

Football Association of Wales chief executive Noel Mooney said Fifa made a mistake in not banning Russia from all international football sooner.

Football Association of Wales (FAW) chief executive Noel Mooney says it is going to be difficult to fit in World Cup play-off games in June.

June has been proposed to play the re-arranged Scotland v Ukraine semi-final and the final, with the winners travelling to either Austria or Wales.

World Cup qualifying has been affected by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"We need to make best of a bad hand and that's what we need to do, figure out a solution," Mooney explained.

Wales' World Cup qualifying play-off semi-final with Austria is going ahead as scheduled on Thursday, 24 March, with a friendly match to follow on Tuesday, 29 March, with Wales' opponents for the friendly determined by their result with Austria.

If Wales beat Austria they are likely to face the losing side from the World Cup play-off between Sweden and Czech Republic, but they are expected to face Scotland if they lose to Austria, with Scotland's semi-final against Ukraine postponed.

June has been suggested as the time to complete the World Cup play-offs, with Poland receiving a bye to a final against Sweden or Czech Republic as Russian football clubs and national teams have been suspended from all competitions by Fifa and Uefa.

However, Mooney says the situation is complicated by Nations League fixtures with Wales already set to play four times in 10 days.

Wales have Nations League games scheduled in Poland on Friday 3 June, against Netherlands on Monday, 6 June, against Belgium on Friday 10 June and then travel to Netherlands for a game on Monday, 13 June.

Fifa have said the "international match calendar window of June will be adapted as necessary for the teams concerned," but Mooney believes there could be problems.

"A bigger issue is the June window," he told Elis James' Feast of Football podcast.

"That's what we've got to sort out. We've got four matches scheduled across two weeks at the end - for a lot of our players - of a long season where they are looking forward to their holidays.

"You are also looking at four, five or six matches for some teams in June in a tight window. How is that going to work? It doesn't work to be honest.

"The June window needs to be clarified as fans have already booked flights for our Nations League games.

"But we can't give any guarantees as it stands. We have to give priority to the World Cup play-off game."

Mooney thinks there could be player welfare issues, ahead of a season already set to start early due to the winter World Cup, as well as a potential competitive disadvantage for Scotland or Ukraine.

"How could we play four division A Nations League games and then a World Cup play-off final? One of the biggest matches in our history," Mooney said.

"Now at the moment Scotland are looking at potentially six matches in that window, a semi-final with Ukraine, a final with us or Austria and four Nations League matches.

"Now if you're looking at that as a player, the new season coming after that is starting earlier because of the World Cup in Qatar and you have a shorter pre-season.

"That's difficult for Rob Page and our backroom team to manage.

"We worked hard to protect the Austria game. Scotland could say we've got an advantage now, as we'd have the rest period between March and June.

"That's possible, they might have to play six games in June, which is difficult."

Mooney says he is expecting an imminent announcement on Wales' probable friendly match on 29 March and says the FAW were determined that the Austria match went ahead as scheduled.

"There was danger of the Austria game not happening and meetings are ongoing about the second match," he added.

"It's now going to be a friendly match on Tuesday night, 29 March.

"If we lose to Austria, it will be a difficult night for many of us, but it looks likely we will play Scotland.

"We will make that a bigger thing than being about just us, it is about Ukraine and raising funds for our friends in Ukraine if we can.

"We are hopeful that won't be the case and if we beat Austria we will play possibly the losers of the Sweden v Czech Republic play-off.

"That could change but at the moment that looks an obvious one."

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