The International Football Federations Thread

[Lineker]

Quote

UEFA has elected to scrap the away-goals rule in European competition, according to the Times.

The rule has been in place in European competition for 56 years, but reports had circulated for some time that it was to be abolished.

And at a meeting on Friday, UEFA has taken the decision to scrap away goals - subject to executive committee approval.

The rule has led to some dramatic moments in European football down the years, the most recent high-profile instance was defending champions Bayern Munich being toppled by Paris Saint-Germain at the quarter-final stage of this season’s Champions League.

However, it has been felt for some time that away goals do not carry as much weight as when the rule was brought in - with the Times quoting a source as saying: “The view is that it is much easier to score an away goal now than it was in the Seventies and Eighties, when football was lower-scoring and stadiums were more hostile. There was less visibility surrounding a match in terms of refereeing, quality of the pitch and organisation, so home advantage is not so significant [now].”

 

The five-sub rule has also been extended until December 2022.

[Adam]

I see no need for 5 subs to continue. What's the justification?

I'm glad away goals is going though. An outdated and unfair format.

[Colly]

Agree entirely on both. 5 subs has made so many games feel like those international friendlies where it can completely kill the flow of a game. Just another advantage for rich clubs.

[The Lusophone]

Presumably it's because of player fatigue after the most crowded schedule in living history - they should keep it until the end of the 2022/23 season.

[gunnar hendershow]

I worry keeping the 5 subs around for too long will make people get used to it but it absolutely needs to be around until after Qatar 2022 just because of how condensed the schedule will be.

Away goals has created drama but that drama would usually still exist without it since it's always teams equalizing matches but having more away goals and advancing. Now you'd have them storming back to draw level and force extra time, so you still get that good ol' drama.

[Baddar]

Copa America (being shown on the BBC pretty much alongside the Euros) will have a bit of a shit format as well, as competition formats go.

Two groups of 5, with everyone playing each other once.

OK, fine. Fair enough.

But the top 4 from each go through to the quarters, meaning only the bottom team misses out. Almost as bad as the 2 through from groups of 3 at the World Cup idea.

[GA!]

2 hours ago, Baddar said:

Copa America (being shown on the BBC pretty much alongside the Euros) will have a bit of a shit format as well, as competition formats go.

Two groups of 5, with everyone playing each other once.

OK, fine. Fair enough.

But the top 4 from each go through to the quarters, meaning only the bottom team misses out. Almost as bad as the 2 through from groups of 3 at the World Cup idea.

So, 20 matches to decide Bolivia and Venezuela are going out in round 1. Amazing.

[Cymbols]

Wales were unable to overturn Neco Williams’s red card. So instead the FAW have decided to turn VAR off for the Albania friendly.

[Bobfoc]

On 03/06/2021 at 07:57, Baddar said:

But the top 4 from each go through to the quarters, meaning only the bottom team misses out. Almost as bad as the 2 through from groups of 3 at the World Cup idea.

I'd say it's worse. The World Cup format, while rubbish, eliminates a third of the teams after the group stage, just as the Euros does. The Copa America format only eliminates a fifth of the teams, and after each team plays four matches.

[gunnar hendershow]

Oh no

 

[angeluzcr]

22 hours ago, damshow said:

Oh no

 

Mostly fault of the goalkeeper but a defender should never makes a pass to the goalkeeper that goes in the direction to the goal.

[gunnar hendershow]

Let's see how much this changes things.

[Malenko]

Will they do the same with Hungary's homophobic chants?

[The Lusophone]

Cuba have been forced to withdraw from the CONCACAF Gold Cup due to the US not granting all of their players visas in time to play their first game.

[gunnar hendershow]

For clarification it was still the qualifying rounds, but all the matches are in Fort Lauderdale so that's where the visa issues arose. French Guiana were awarded the win and now face Trinidad & Tobago for a spot in the actual tournament.

[Szumi]

Even though T&T haven't been as okay lately the last couple years (like since October 2018 >_<), they would have likely beaten Cuba to qualify for the Gold Cup no issues. You'd imagine they would do the same to French Guiana, but it would be cool if the upset T&T since they can't compete in World Cup Qualifying.

[Lineker]

 

[gunnar hendershow]

FIFA's never met a murderous regime it didn't want money from.

[Lineker]

Quote

The president of Fifa, Gianni Infantino, has signalled he is willing to step away from the divisive plan to launch a men’s World Cup every two years.

Speaking after a meeting of the Fifa Council in Zurich, Infantino said he would convene a summit for international federations on 20 December at which plans for reform of the football calendar would be discussed. But he did not commit to holding a vote on any proposals and said any changes would only be made if they were “beneficial for everybody”.

“The discussions around our World Cups have provoked some strong reactions,” Infantino said. “I have heard some critical comments I have heard many enthusiastic comments as well. The discussion is very different in different parts of the world. My objective is to try to bring everyone together, and we must come together.

“What I have said from the beginning is that we are going to change things only if we are completely convinced that it will be beneficial for everybody. For everybody. If it is beneficial for everybody, I cannot see why people would not agree to it.”

The idea of a biennial men’s World Cup first became public this year, when the Saudi Arabian Football Association asked Fifa to conduct a feasibility study, approved by a substantial majority of its 211 members. Plans quickly gathered pace and by last month Fifa’s head of global football development, Arsène Wenger, was presenting a fully fledged plan to stakeholders.

A vote to pass the measures was mooted for December, only to be met with widespread resistance. The governing body of European football, Uefa, has been vocally opposed to a biennial World Cup, with criticism coming also from the International Olympic Committee and one of Fifa’s chief sponsors, Adidas.

By choosing not to announce an emergency Fifa congress, but rather a summit, Infantino appears to have ruled out the possibility of an early vote and he admitted any changes could now be a “staged process”.

“I am confident that on 20 December we can present a common solution,” Infantino said. “How it will look like ... for me everything is open … Maybe there is a way we have not yet found but speaking together we can find. So any idea, any proposal is most welcome.”

Infantino has been reported as saying he would look into altering the biennial plans so that teams which entered the first competition would not compete in the second. It is also understood that proposals for a ‘global Nations League’ based on the current Uefa competition are being considered.

 

Edited October 20, 2021 by Lineker

[Colly]

Remember when everyone (me) used to like Draw Baldy? Can't believe what he's become.