Smoke from Canadian fires puts World Cup final at risk
Mikel Merino perceives the smoke from the forest fires in Canada. Foggy conditions affect large areas of the United States, including northern New Jersey, where Spain and Argentina will play the World Cup final this Sunday.
The Spanish midfielder tries not to focus on it. The actual impact of the smoke on the match remains uncertain. The World Health Organization forecast calls for “moderate” air quality in East Rutherford.
“In the environment you can smell the sensation and see that there is smoke,” Merino said. “For a match as important as the World Cup final you must try to abstract yourself from external factors, convinced that the federation and the organization will take care of every detail.”
Spain trained outdoors on Thursday in East Hanover, New Jersey, in conditions considered dangerous by experts. They believe the session should have taken place indoors. FIFA and the Royal Spanish Football Federation did not answer questions in this regard.
Temporary improvement, but uncertainty persists
Air quality improved on Friday. The doubt is what will happen after the rain expected for Saturday, which could leave up to 3.17 centimeters.
“After that, another smoky air mass appears to be coming behind the system, but it is not clear how much or how it could reach New York or New Jersey on Sunday,” explained Mark Parrington, senior scientist at the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service.
“If the intensity of the fire increases during Saturday, it could release more smoke that quickly follows the rain episode,” he added.
Jonathan Belles, meteorologist for The Weather Channel, hopes to have more certainty closer to kickoff.
“The question is whether the smoke behind the system reaches ground level over northern New Jersey on Sunday and how concentrated it becomes. Current models range from little or no smoke to levels of concern for players and fans.”
Smoke from forest fires—increasingly frequent due to global warming—affects almost all of the body’s systems. According to medical studies, it causes tens of thousands of deaths a year. It increases asthma cases and ambulance departures in a matter of hours. It can trigger inflammation in different parts of the body, attacking the weakest points of each person.
