The International Football Federations Thread

[Colly]

I'd suggest, based on similarly stupid decisions, that they haven't thought that far ahead yet. Platini is a moron.

[METALMAN]

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/nov/22/fifa-qatar-workers-rights-arsene-wenger-arsenal-2022-world-cup

Good for Wenger. He's,a good lad really.

[DFF]

Then you won't be able to have all the teams playing the final group game at the same time, resulting in teams playing for draws and other atrocities.

I guess they'd seed the top two places in the groups and make sure that both of those were playing in the final found of games. It wouldn't cover for the unseeded teams doing well, but it'd cover it well enough.

[Lineker]

England have dropped down to 13th in the latest rankings.

[Thrilla]

Unlucky for some.

[Lineker]

Seven Premier League players have been included among the 20 defenders shortlisted for the FIFA FIFPro World XI 2013. The England pair of Ashley Cole and Leighton Baines are joined by Chelsea pair Branislav Ivanovic and David Luiz, Manchester United's Nemanja Vidic and the Manchester City duo of Vincent Kompany and Pablo Zabaleta.

The full list is: David Alaba (Austria, FC Bayern München); Jordi Alba (Spain, FC Barcelona); Dani Alves (Brazil, FC Barcelona); Leighton Baines (England, Everton FC); Jérôme Boateng (Germany, FC Bayern München); Ashley Cole (England, Chelsea FC); Dante (Brazil, FC Bayern München); Mats Hummels (Germany, Borussia Dortmund); Branislav Ivanović (Serbia, Chelsea FC); Philipp Lahm (Germany, FC Bayern München); David Luiz (Brazil, Chelsea FC); Vincent Kompany (Belgium, Manchester City FC); Marcelo (Brazil, Real Madrid CF); Pepe (Portugal, Real Madrid CF); Gerard Piqué (Spain, FC Barcelona); Sergio Ramos (Spain, Real Madrid CF ); Thiago Silva (Brazil, Paris St-Germain FC); Raphaël Varane (France, Real Madrid CF); Nemanja Vidić (Serbia, Manchester United FC); Pablo Zabaleta (Argentina, Manchester City FC).

[METALMAN]

Twenty is overkill. Why don't they just pick the team and be done with it?

[Lineker]

Five goalkeepers are nominated to be named in the team of the year:

Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus and Italy), Iker Casillas (Real Madrid and Spain), Petr Cech (Chelsea and Czech Republic), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich and Germany), Víctor Valdes (Barcelona and Spain)

Fifteen midfielders, including Wales' Gareth Bale, England skipper Steven Gerrard, Arsenal's Mesut Ozil and Manchester City's Yaya Toure, are aiming to be named in the team of the year:

Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid and Spain); Gareth Bale (Tottenham Hotspur/Real Madrid and Wales); Sergio Busquets (Barcelona and Spain); Steven Gerrard (Liverpool and England); Andres Iniesta (Barcelona and Spain); Isco (Malaga/Real Madrid and Spain); Mesut Ozil (Real Madrid/Arsenal and Germany); Andrea Pirlo (Juventus and Italy); Marco Reus (Borussia Dortmund and Germany); Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich and France), Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich and Netherlands); Bastian Schweinsteiger (Bayern Munich and Germany); Yaya Toure (Manchester City and Ivory Coast); Arturo Vidal (Juventus and Chile); Xavi (Barcelona and Spain).

Here are the 15 forwards hoping to be named in the Fifpro XI. England striker Wayne Rooney is on the shortlist along with team-mate Robin van Persie, Manchester City's Sergio Aguero and Liverpool's Luis Suarez.

Sergio Aguero (Manchester City and Argentina); Mario Balotelli (Manchester City/AC Milan and Italy); Edinson Cavani (Napoli/Paris Saint-Germain and Uruguay); Diego Costa (Atletico Madrid and Spain); Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid and Portugal); Didier Drogba (Shanghai Shenhua/Galatasaray and Ivory Coast); Radamel Falcao (Atletico Madrid/Monaco and Colombia); Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Paris Saint-Germain and Sweden); Robert Lewandowski (Borussia Dortmund and Poland); Mario Mandzukic (Bayern Munich and Croatia); Lionel Messi (Barcelona and Argentina); Neymar (Santos/Barcelona and Brazil); Wayne Rooney (Manchester United and England); Luis Suarez (Liverpool and Uruguay); Robin van Persie (Manchester United and Netherlands).

[Starvinho]

UEFA has revealed the qualifying process for the 2016 European Championship in France.

The 2016 European Championship takes place from June 10 to July 10 and will be played in 10 different stadiums around the country.

For the first time in the competition's history 24 nations will play for the international title.

The hosts France will automatically qualify, and a record field of 53 nations, including debutants Gibraltar, will play for the 23 places at the tournament.

A total of nine groups will be drawn in Nice on February 23, 2014. The top two teams from each group will qualify for France 2016.

The best third-placed nation will also progress, while the other eight third-placed teams will playoff for the four remaining places.

UEFA also revealed the introduction of the "week of football" for the qualification phase. This scheduling format involves matches being played from Thursday to Tuesday.

The majority of kick-off times will be set at 5pm and 7.45pm BST on Saturdays and Sundays, and at 7.45pm on other days. On double-header match-weeks, teams will play on Thursday and Sunday, or Friday and Monday, or Saturday and Tuesday.

"This makes the competition clearer," UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino said.

I'm gonna call it now, England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland will all qualify. Not Northern Ireland though because they're shit.

[TCO]

It'll mean that we'll actually qualify for tournaments regularly now but the new 24 team Euros is shit. I don't know how the group stages are going to work but if it's 6 groups of 4 there's no way it won't be ridiculous. You'll either have a big load of group games ending with only 8 teams being eliminated or the group winners and some ridiculous tie-breakers determining the best runner-ups. They might even have 12 teams go through with a bye system, it's just stupid.

[Lineker]

It's basically the same, except it's now the top two plus best third placed finishers as opposed to the group winners plus best second placed finishers. Got it.

[TCO]

The qualifying system is self explanatory really, the working of 24 teams is going to be the silly part. Playing a full group stage where 2/3 of the teams go through is just ridiculous. In theory, 1 point could get you through to the 2nd round.

[Starvinho]

The World Cup used to be 24 teams didn't it? I don't think it's a big problem, it'll just be six groups of four with the top two qualifying from each, then the four best ranked third placed teams too. Then you just carry on as normal with a last 16 knockout.

[METALMAN]

Yeah, but they changed the format of the World Cup because running a group stage where the majority of teams qualified is utterly shambolic. It resulted in numerous teams playing for draws because that was all they really needed.

[Starvinho]

What other ways could they do it though? Just looking back at WC 82 and they did two group stages in that tournament. Six groups of four with the top two going into a further four groups of three. Then whoever tops those groups went through to the semi-finals.

[Colly]

They could just leave it at 16 teams, that'd be my suggestion. Between this and multiple hosts I'm not massively enamoured by the whole shebang these days.

[METALMAN]

They could just leave it at 16 teams,

Pretty much. Despite being Welsh, and this change making it far easier for us to qualify for the Euros, I think this is really stupid.

[Lineker]

metalman, noted Welshman.

[9 to 5]

Imagine that, France get the next one and Platini makes sure no one place gets the economic boost of the one after that.

[Matt]

Tbf I think its just the one tournament that's going to be spread across the continent.