pc4th
22 Nov 2007, 05:53 AM
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/euro_2008/article2689751.ece
Do the right thing, Sepp - stop this qualifying madness
Kaveh Solhekol The Times
October 19, 2007
Enough is enough. This madness has to stop. How can you have a leading tournament without England? The last time they tried it was the World Cup finals in the United States in 1994 – a tournament so lacklustre Bulgaria made it to the semi-finals. England did not have to qualify for the rugby World Cup in France so why do John Terry and Co have to go through the charade of playing against teams such as Andorra before they can take their place in Austria and Switzerland?
Michel Platini was elected president of Uefa in January with a mandate to shake up the game and instead of messing around with half-baked plans about restructuring the Champions League, he should give England, Germany, Italy, France and Spain direct entry into every European Championship finals.
Why do England have to fly to Estonia, Andorra and Israel to prove that they are one of the best 16 teams in Europe? As things stand next year’s tournament could kick off without Italy, England and Spain. That might be good news in Zagreb and Warsaw, but it should set alarm bells ringing at Uefa headquarters in Nyon. Police officers in Austria and Switzerland may be looking forward to a trouble-free tournament without England fans, but how can any team claim they are the best in Europe if they have not come up against Wayne Rooney or Fernando Torres or Fabio Cannavaro?
The England rugby team qualified automatically for this year’s World Cup because they reached the quarter-finals of the previous competition in Australia in 2003. If Uefa adopted a similar policy to the International Rugby Board, the eight quarter-finalists from Euro 2004 – Portugal, England, Sweden, Holland, France, Greece, the Czech Republic and Denmark – would have booked their places without having to take their chances against Liechtenstein, Luxembourg or the Faeroe Isles.
European qualifying for the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa starts next year, so there is time for Sepp Blatter, Fifa president, to throw his weight around and give a bye to the quarter-finalists, including England, from the World Cup finals in Germany last year. Please, Sepp, don’t send us to San Marino again.
Do the right thing, Sepp - stop this qualifying madness
Kaveh Solhekol The Times
October 19, 2007
Enough is enough. This madness has to stop. How can you have a leading tournament without England? The last time they tried it was the World Cup finals in the United States in 1994 – a tournament so lacklustre Bulgaria made it to the semi-finals. England did not have to qualify for the rugby World Cup in France so why do John Terry and Co have to go through the charade of playing against teams such as Andorra before they can take their place in Austria and Switzerland?
Michel Platini was elected president of Uefa in January with a mandate to shake up the game and instead of messing around with half-baked plans about restructuring the Champions League, he should give England, Germany, Italy, France and Spain direct entry into every European Championship finals.
Why do England have to fly to Estonia, Andorra and Israel to prove that they are one of the best 16 teams in Europe? As things stand next year’s tournament could kick off without Italy, England and Spain. That might be good news in Zagreb and Warsaw, but it should set alarm bells ringing at Uefa headquarters in Nyon. Police officers in Austria and Switzerland may be looking forward to a trouble-free tournament without England fans, but how can any team claim they are the best in Europe if they have not come up against Wayne Rooney or Fernando Torres or Fabio Cannavaro?
The England rugby team qualified automatically for this year’s World Cup because they reached the quarter-finals of the previous competition in Australia in 2003. If Uefa adopted a similar policy to the International Rugby Board, the eight quarter-finalists from Euro 2004 – Portugal, England, Sweden, Holland, France, Greece, the Czech Republic and Denmark – would have booked their places without having to take their chances against Liechtenstein, Luxembourg or the Faeroe Isles.
European qualifying for the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa starts next year, so there is time for Sepp Blatter, Fifa president, to throw his weight around and give a bye to the quarter-finalists, including England, from the World Cup finals in Germany last year. Please, Sepp, don’t send us to San Marino again.