The smaller nations make up the vast majority and they see this as their chance to have that experience. Qualification to the finals is their main goal.
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The smaller nations make up the vast majority and they see this as their chance to have that experience. Qualification to the finals is their main goal.
Lost Mango
Goran Bunjevcevic
Absolutely - so all those nations with flags of saints or Islamic crescents on them must either change their flag or not display it on their kit or around the ground.
Totally support this.
Lost Mango
Goran Bunjevcevic
The standard in the first stages of any international competition are always reported/perceived as dire. Every 2 years we have the same moaning about the quality no matter the size of the competition - "Worst competition since Italia'90" "Not like the golden eras of proper Brazilian football" blah blah.
International football is never as good as people expect it to be or 'remember' it as being. it is like every summer in the '50s and '60s was blue skies and golden wheat blowing in the fields not London peasoupers and torrential rain.
Expanding the intake won't change the actual quality and in fact might actually make some games more competitive even if the quality isn't higher.
Changing all games in group stages to results by a penalty shoot-out would be a positive as well.
Grays_1890
Colin Calderwood
The longer format in the Euros bored the world to death, this is gonna do the same.
Jesus
Jesus
Glenda's Legs
Les Ferdinand
K.D.D.D.D.Soc
Les Ferdinand
While I agree the standard of some of the games in the 50/60's weren't all good, there were less games so the tournament itself did not drag on. Back in that "Golden Era" there was more emphasis on individuals in teams rather than the stifling coaching tactics we see today. All we will get is more workmen like teams grinding out draws. But it's doubles all round for the FIFA officals and their families and friends.
jts1882
Dean Richards
I never thought I would say this, but we may come to miss Blatter. He was corrupt as fudge, not personally as he rewarded himself amply through legal means, but institutionally. He did promote the game, though, and the world cup was generally a success under his stewardship. He didn't vote for Qatar.
This latest move could undermine the whole thing. More and more people are favouring the club game, but most supporters enjoy the tournaments, just not the endless qualifying and friendlies that disrupt the club season. The new format seems a joke. The groups of three are just a token way of giving some extra teams a few meaningless games. With seeding and two from three qualifying, there will be few upsets and few games that matter. What a way to kill the golden goose, although the clubs might favour it in the end.
With the larger format, few countries will be able to host a tournament, so next up will be fragmentation like they are trying for the next Euros. Semis in Dubai and Doha, the final in Shanghai.
This latest move could undermine the whole thing. More and more people are favouring the club game, but most supporters enjoy the tournaments, just not the endless qualifying and friendlies that disrupt the club season. The new format seems a joke. The groups of three are just a token way of giving some extra teams a few meaningless games. With seeding and two from three qualifying, there will be few upsets and few games that matter. What a way to kill the golden goose, although the clubs might favour it in the end.
With the larger format, few countries will be able to host a tournament, so next up will be fragmentation like they are trying for the next Euros. Semis in Dubai and Doha, the final in Shanghai.
alekaras
The ITK of IDK
I actually liked the Spain '82 format. In the second round the teams are back into smaller groups and the winners progress to the semis. Of course that wouldn't work with 48, or even 32, teams, unless you made it 12 groups of 4 with the top teams making up a second round of 4 groups of 3 and the winners moving on to the semis. Same number of games to get to the final and we could see some matches that we wouldn't have otherwise seen. Plus the second group phase would be so much more competitive.
Lost Mango
Goran Bunjevcevic
Agree with that but the stifling tactics won't change whether we have 16 teams or 48.
Gilzeantoscore
Justin Edinburgh
I hate it when you have to wait an age for your team's next match.
K.D.D.D.D.Soc
Les Ferdinand
I know but there will be a lot more of them. FIFA have never heard the saying "always leave them wanting more". Televised domestic football has reached saturation point, with viewing figures dropping so I suppose FIFA a desperate to get more Asian teams into the finals to get higher tv income. I'm sure the tournament will benefit from China, India, Malaysia and Thailand being there.
More money to the countries that now manage to qualify.
Denmark Spur
Edgar Davids
Baleforce
Ron Henry
more licensing and merchandising deals in more countries
this isn't corruption from FIFA (for a change), its sound business practice, when the market
is saturated it's easier to make it bigger than it is to increase the value of the product
it's no different to Apple selling the iphone in more markets each year
this isn't corruption from FIFA (for a change), its sound business practice, when the market
is saturated it's easier to make it bigger than it is to increase the value of the product
it's no different to Apple selling the iphone in more markets each year
Gutter Boy
Tim Sherwood
There are 7000 football teams in England. They can't all play in the EPL though, no matter how much they'd like to (although to be fair they pretty much all do play in the FA cup).
IMO having 1/4 of all national teams in the world playing in the finals is just too much. It devalues it and stops it being an elite competition. Do you throw the kids in for your group games against St Kitts and Nevis and New Caledonia, and your round of 32 gane against Thailand, before taking it seriously for the last 16 and beyond?
If you asked the Championship clubs if they wanted to expand the PL and increase their own chances of getting up and making more money, most likely they'd say yes.
If this expansion means fewer qualifying games it might not be a total disaster.