The Road to the FIFA World Cup - South Africa 2010

The only reason their is a fixture congestion is because of league, cup and european club games. International games have been quite static. There is between 1-2 games a month whereas you could get 3 games in a domestic week. There is nothing wrong with the international schedule.

I agree with the system of having a qualifing round for the qualifiers... thats what happens in Asia for example, tho you cannot copy the model exactly for Europe, the concept is a good one.

There are 53 teams in europe... and 13 qualify. This system would be easier if there were 12 or 14 teams qualifying. Lets say there were 12.

Then the top 18-20 seeds automatically go to the qualifiers. The other 33-35 teams go through a pre-quaifier, and the top 10 teams from there make it to the qualifiers. Then these top 30 teams play in 6 groups of 5 quality teams each, and top 2 from each group qualify.

That will ensure the qualifiers are all quality games, and there are lessor games for the top teams. Or something like that.

1) having an extra cup competition (league cup/coca cola cup) is ridiculous

2) all those minnows competing in the WC/EC qualifiers, playing negative football and injuring good players is ridiculous

3) playing 6-8 games in preseason just to qualify for the CL/EL is ridiculous

4) having not-champions in the CL is ridiculous

There's more than enough room to cut ridiculous matches

Yep, I'm with Bluenine. Europe and S.America are the only ones which don't have a multi-stage qualification - so I really fail to see how it's arrogant to say there should be 2 stages. S.America doesn't because it only has 10 nations, but Europe has 53!

If nothing else could do a knock-out play-off of bottom 10 sides to cut it down to 48 teams, so can make it 8 equal sized groups

Countries like San Marino, Liechtenstein have populations equivalent to small towns. They have zero chance of qualifying. At least doing pre-qual round it would make it an achievement to aim for in getting to the next stage.

Uli Hoeneß suggests a pre-qualification and later have smaller groups so that the national leagues dont have so many breaks and players don't have to play so much "useless" games against teams which have no chance anyway and you risk your players health. (Players paid by the clubs)
He also thinks SA should play in two groups to not have 18 games where the SA players from europe have to flight those long distances several times a year.

I think he is right here, i dont even watch games against azerbaidschan or moldavia or luxembourg anymore...

I dont think it has anything to do with arrogance.

110% wrote:
Yes, improve the Turkish youth setup. Now the Germans have realised another way to win they'll be right over to poach the younger Turkish players showing any potential, taking them over to Germany and putting them through the youth setups of various German clubs, claiming them for the German team if they are any good. None of their Turkish heritage matters at all or who they might freely want to play for given a choice without outside pressures of being treated like a second-rate citizen due to not having a European passport.

Any of them that don't make it will of course not be given a German passport and deported back to Turkey, dirty immigrants.

If there ever was a reminder needed why you are one of the most ignorant idiots on this board, here it is. It's so ridiculously clueless and plain wrong that it makes me chuckle.

All of the Germans with a Turkish background playing for Germany were born in Germany, and learned to play football here. The German federation doesn't need to 'steal' players from Turkey. If you had the slightest clue at all, you'd know that there various German born players playing for the Turkish national team these days. Born in Germany, educated in Germany that is. How many players in the German national team were born in Turkey?

Before you open your mouth on a topic, get a clue first. Seriously, this is just embarassing. Hypocritical bigot, find a better example to let your hatred out next time.

Aye, it'd be a waste not too. It seems half of Belgium's team nowadays is North African.

blutgraetsche wrote:

110% wrote:
Yes, improve the Turkish youth setup. Now the Germans have realised another way to win they'll be right over to poach the younger Turkish players showing any potential, taking them over to Germany and putting them through the youth setups of various German clubs, claiming them for the German team if they are any good. None of their Turkish heritage matters at all or who they might freely want to play for given a choice without outside pressures of being treated like a second-rate citizen due to not having a European passport.

Any of them that don't make it will of course not be given a German passport and deported back to Turkey, dirty immigrants.

If there ever was a reminder needed why you are one of the most ignorant idiots on this board, here it is. It's so ridiculously clueless and plain wrong that it makes me chuckle.

All of the Germans with a Turkish background playing for Germany were born in Germany, and learned to play football here. The German federation doesn't need to 'steal' players from Turkey. If you had the slightest clue at all, you'd know that there various German born players playing for the Turkish national team these days. Born in Germany, educated in Germany that is. How many players in the German national team were born in Turkey?

Before you open your mouth on a topic, get a clue first. Seriously, this is just embarassing. Hypocritical bigot, find a better example to let your hatred out next time.

two things firstly try to understand a pisstake and secondly learn to read

the crucial bit is bolded for you: they'll as in "they will", as in the future

it is embarassing for you I know, especially if you're calling people names you should actually learn the definition of them e.g. you calling Fey a racist then making a racist comment about oriental people within the same post makes you a "hypocritical bigot".

please tell me where I have been one

Hardly saw any footy for my standards lately, even missed the U21 WC so far., but really looking forward to this super national team week. At least there are matches about something, not first matches in groups...

Anywone else starting with Zambia v Egypt, which imo is the earliest KO Saturday?

bluenine wrote:I agree with the system of having a qualifing round for the qualifiers... thats what happens in Asia for example, tho you cannot copy the model exactly for Europe, the concept is a good one.

There are 53 teams in europe... and 13 qualify. This system would be easier if there were 12 or 14 teams qualifying. Lets say there were 12.

Then the top 18-20 seeds automatically go to the qualifiers. The other 33-35 teams go through a pre-quaifier, and the top 10 teams from there make it to the qualifiers. Then these top 30 teams play in 6 groups of 5 quality teams each, and top 2 from each group qualify.

That will ensure the qualifiers are all quality games, and there are lessor games for the top teams. Or something like that.

Plus this had the added benefit of keeping the big sides (such as Italy) as the big sides, and preventing any threat from smaller European teams getting their shit together.

I mean, it's only competitive sport, it doesn't need to be at all meritocratic.

Pre-qualifying wouldn't stop deserving teams from getting to the world cup, it could still be meritocratic. Depends how they did it.

Liechtenstein has a population of 35,000 - which means there's probably only around 5000 males between 16 and 40 - which is their entire pool for picking a football squad to compete with Italy or whoever. If, by some miracle, they managed to have enough talent there to qualify for a world cup, how would a pre-qualifying stage prevent them from doing so? If they're capable of competing with top teams they would easily beat Malta and co, and go on to the second stage. And next time would doubtless be ranked high enough to by-pass 1st rd of qualifying.

Agree if it was a case of giving the top 10 teams byes all the way so they only have to beat one or two others to qualify, it would be unfair. But a system to filter down the bottom 10 or 15 teams, so that only those with a decent chance of competing get through - I don't think that would be unreasonable or 'unmeritocratic'.

It would make the final qualifying groups stronger and could be done in a way to equalise them in size, so don't have complication like Holland/Scotland's group being smaller this time.

Put simply, it makes it harder for small/weak countries to get anywhere, thus develop solutions to their size/strength problems.

I see that as grossly unmeritocratic. It puts countries already at a disadvantage at even more of a disadvantage. No different to the CL group stage being designed to aid the bigger teams through to the knockout stages. It will simply preserve the status quo.

To me, this is far more damaging to the global game than England feeling put out by having to play Lichtenstein or Malta. Big teams' arrogance vs. a fair and level playing field.

Not much of a choice for me.

To make it fair and level, you'd need to do away with seedings altogether. Depending how they do it, pre-qualification would just be a logical extension of the seeding that already happens. And, as for damaging to the global game - note that every other federation bar S.America uses pre-qualification type stage/s.

And depending how you argue it, seeding could be seen as meritocratic - i.e. those who were successful in the past are rewarded by being higher seeds now. Of course that presumes everyone came from equal starting point, which clearly they did not.

Don't get me wrong, the present qualification system is far from perfect but it is a particular sort of big club/big nation arrogance (epitomised by our old friend Arsene) that seems to drive this idea of pre-qualification for the shit/little clubs/nations.

Just as I'm opposed to positive discrimination, I'm opposed to this sort of thing. Seedings in particular completely fuck over recently formed countries (such as Serbia) because they simply don't have the history of results to be granted a decent seeding position. Whereas countries like England can fail to qualify for a tournament due to inept management and overrating their players and don't suffer at all for it. And then have the audacity to complain about having to play sides like Lichtenstein and Malta.

Stimulus Package wrote:Don't get me wrong, the present qualification system is far from perfect but it is a particular sort of big club/big nation arrogance (epitomised by our old friend Arsene) that seems to drive this idea of pre-qualification for the shit/little clubs/nations.

Just as I'm opposed to positive discrimination, I'm opposed to this sort of thing. Seedings in particular completely fuck over recently formed countries (such as Serbia) because they simply don't have the history of results to be granted a decent seeding position. Whereas countries like England can fail to qualify for a tournament due to inept management and overrating their players and don't suffer at all for it. And then have the audacity to complain about having to play sides like Lichtenstein and Malta.

The points needed for a seeding could then only be counted for a short term so England for example wouldn't have too many points. I do think we have too many games today and I think it shows in the stars we have today who seem to burn out quicker. However unlike many I don't think just cutting international games is enough which is often what club managers want. Leagues could be cut to 18 teams for example.

Alternatively we could just extend the footballing calendar so they have to work 52 weeks a year like the rest of us.

Says the man on a forum which seems to be predominantly populated by the unemployed, students & people who work in computing (i.e. the worst slackers of all ).

True, but students, the unemployed and IT slackers don't constantly whinge and moan about having to do too much work, whereas millionaire 2 days work a week footballers do this almost constantly.

Ivory Coast qualified

Egypt kept it chances for the final game against algeria.

I can see Big Vince absolutely annihilating the Potato-wogs tonight

Bosnia winning 1-0 goal by Dzeko.

Denmark-Sweden next! Could be a great game! Since they dont really like eachother. Especially after that Euro qualifier in mind. According to Jon Dahl Tomasson its like Holland-Germany!

Tomasson vs Zlatan!

Antarion wrote:Ivory Coast qualified

Egypt kept it chances for the final game against algeria.

Algeria play tomorrow. Their result - they should beat Rwanda at home - will determine what Egypt has to do to qualify. Here's the goal - a stunning effort from the reigning African Cup of Nations Player of the Tournament Hosny abd Rabou. I was lucky enough to meet him in Ghana at the last ACN and have an interview with him even though he spoke no English and my Arabic is limited to shukran (sp) which means thank you. The only other thing I can say in Arabic is Long live the Revolution!

Anyway enjoy this goal. You know you want to.

http://eurorivals.net/highlights/zambia_v_egypt_20091010.html

Is it goal difference or direct encounter?

Should be hard either way for egypt. Hope they make it though.

Denmark v Sweden goalless so far. Come on Denmark.

Great save by Issakson from Poulsen heading from point blank range.

cyprus shooting Ireland into the playoffs by beating berbatovia. 3-1 atm

Anyone got a decent stream that isn't chinese for Denmark Sweden

Khadrim wrote:Anyone got a decent stream that isn't chinese for Denmark Sweden

tvu://59687 - spanish.

Belgium 1-0 up already within a few minutes, hope they smash those Turks!

Nearly 2-0!

Fucking hell, Advocaat did something to them!