FIFA has no plans to move Sunday’s World Cup final, even as smoke from Canadian wildfires leaves a haze over New York City, reports claim.
Spain is due to face Argentina in a blockbuster final at MetLife Stadium and there have been warnings that the combination of heat and ‘terrible’ air quality constitutes a ‘very dangerous and powerful one-two punch to the human body.’.
On Thursday, the air quality in New Jersey, site of the stadium, was rated ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’ by several air-quality measurement platforms.
According to Bloomberg, however, FIFA and Andrew Giuliani – who heads of the White House’s World Cup Task Force – have been involved in informal discussions about the wildfires.
But no formal meeting is slated over possibly moving the final.
Earlier this week, some soccer fans were being advised to sell their tickets for the game, while World Cup chiefs faced calls to introduce more hydration breaks on Sunday to keep players safe.
‘It not only is going to be terrible, terrible air quality. It’s hot, and that can cause an extreme amount of stress on the heart [for players],’ said Dr Vin Gupta, a pulmonologist and board of directors member at the American Lung Association.
‘That is a very powerful and dangerous one-two punch to the human body. It’s going to be critical to maintain core body temperatures as low as possible.’
MORE TO FOLLOW
