Nottingham Forest forward Jesse Lingard has laid out his "two main observations" about the World Cup in Qatar.
In a column for The Mail on Sunday, the 29-year-old admitted it is "annoying" that the tournament has come just as the Reds were building momentum in the Premier League under head coach Steve Cooper after a difficult start to the season.
He also says, though, that the "vast majority" of players want to be at the World Cup despite the backdrop of human rights issues and mistreatment of migrant workers. "Having the World Cup in Qatar has caused controversy which everyone knows about," Lingard wrote.
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"The decision to stage it there was made when I was a kid, a few weeks after I turned 18, by people who are mostly not involved in football any more. There has been plenty said about it, but I have two main observations.
"First, it’s obviously different to have a World Cup in winter, in the middle of the domestic season. As a Nottingham Forest player, it’s annoying that it came as we were gaining some momentum.
"But strange things happen all the time in football and as a player you adapt. Ask any player whether they want to be at this World Cup and the vast majority will say bring it on.
"Secondly, football is a global game and if you decide that the World Cup can’t be staged in the Middle East or in the Arab world because it is too hot, then you’re denying more than 400 million people in that region the opportunity to host the greatest event. It’s too hot in summer, so it’s in winter and everyone in Qatar will simply get on with it."
Lingard was part of the England squad that reached the World Cup semi-finals in Russia four years ago but is not involved this time around. Gareth Southgate's team get their 2022 campaign under way against Iran on Monday.
The Qatar World Cup kicks off today (Sunday) when the hosts take on Ecuador.
Do you think the break came at a good or bad time for Forest? Let us know in the comments section.
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