2010 World Cup Qualification

[Zathras 296]

My only counter-argument (though I think it's a strong one) is that, in smaller countries in particular, you need to dangle the carrot of "you might get to play against England or France or Italy" in order to make people leave their crops/cows/lucrative banking jobs and agree to kick a football around the pitch a bit in the first place when failure is almost guaranteed. In other words, there has to be a reason to aspire or you'll never get any kind of aspiration. OK, a Liechtenstein is never going to be a world power on the footballing stage, but there's always an element of slippage in this game (viz. the previously decent Estonians now being ranked in the bottom pool), and even making it into the second-last group of countries is seen as something of a badge of honour for the smaller nations in Europe. Maybe it's a fundamental difference between the European (or even British) and American mindsets, but the latter seems to have a lot less time for the romance of the potential giant-killer.

 

EDIT: And, addressing your initial points, a lot of the 'smaller' countries are pretty rich anyway. The last thing a tax haven like Andorra or Liechtenstein has to worry about is a few quid spent on flights and accommodation.

 

Fair enough that they don't need the money, but I still feel that the playoff will give equal incentive to play. The winner of that playoff gets that opportunity to play with the "big boys." Perhaps it's a disincentive to the really, really low rated teams, but just as Estonia had previously good years and now is in a down-turn, such teams have ebb and flow of power which makes those games interesting. In fact, in my mind, it makes those play-off games mean that much more because it's actually *for* that 'privilege' of playing the big teams. What really 'meaningful' games do the minnows actually have in the current set up? Is there really a great incentive for Lichtenstein to try to sneak a point in Azerbaijan?

 

Wouldn't it be a similar badge of honour to make it into the group stage?

 

I agree that there might be a difference in the mindset about the minnows, but I live for the giant-killing stories in football. Even in NCAA American Football this year there have been a number of HUGE upsets and I love it (even though I don't follow the sport at all.) Upsets are why you play the game; if we played it on paper, the Brazilians would win just about every cup. However, I think the World Cup is diminished by groups like Group H where a cup-worthy team is going to miss out on the playoffs.

 

I guess it's a balance between the romance of giving Slovakia a better chance in a playoff against Spain and the romance of having the possibility of a Netherlands v. Turkey (or v Belgium) or an England v. Ireland match at the World Cup. Where do you place the balance? On the Cinderella story to the cup or on the best teams battling it out on the biggest stage.

I suppose I agree that it's a value judgment.

[Meenzer 15871]

Fair enough, aye

 

(I now expect this thread to be deleted on account of us not being anywhere near abusive enough. )

[Zathras 296]

Fair enough, aye

 

(I now expect this thread to be deleted on account of us not being anywhere near abusive enough. )

 

 

I was just thinking the same thing--this can't really be a discussion on a message board can it? We're civil and finding common ground!

 

Then again the discussions I've had with you have historically been civil and worthwhile

 

 

Homo.

[Meenzer 15871]

Fair enough, aye

 

(I now expect this thread to be deleted on account of us not being anywhere near abusive enough. )

 

 

I was just thinking the same thing--this can't really be a discussion on a message board can it? We're civil and finding common ground!

 

Then again the discussions I've had with you have historically been civil and worthwhile

 

 

Homo.

 

Enabler!

 

Or something.