Sky News is reporting that the emergency FIFA meeting being held tomorrow (Tuesday or Wednesday I’m not sure due to a time zone handicap I’ve had since I was a young boy in shortpants) will see the body sanction the use of five-referee’s at next year’s World Cup in South Africa. It turns out that the French ball slap may have everlasting repercussions in the soccer world and turn out to be the defining moment of Thierry Henry’s career, for better or worse (worse in my opinion). Too bad that other infamous hand ball could not have had the same effect.
It does not appear Ireland will get any reprieve from the wrong that has set about this monumental change. No reparations, so to speak. At least they can now look at themselves as the sacrificial lamb of world soccer, although I doubt that soothes the pain of possibly, conceivably, maybe qualifying for the 2010 World Cup.
Never strangers to monkeying around with draws and seedings (hello Ireland again), FIFA is also reported to be contemplating yanking any possibility of the French getting a seed for Friday’s draw. This is probably for the best as the French squad certainly has not looked deserving of such a benefit.
Shut up about the whiny irish, can you?
And the french should not get a seed because it didnt deserve it.
How can you not win your group, then have to qualify and then get seeded? This applies not only to the french but any team that finished 2nd in their group.
The french (and others like portugal) had two years to prove they were good, they didnt. Serbia finished first in the frenchy group therefore they proved over the past two years to be a better team so giving the french a seed over a team that they finished 2nd to wouldnt make sense.
If you had to resort to a playoff to qualify you shouldnt automatically be disqualified from being seeded.
Taking the seed away from France because of the hand ball is undefensible and petty (two wrongs dont make a right) and doesnt resolve the problem I outlined above. Dont give them (and others) a seed because they dont deserve it.
@leo laporte: i’m not quite sure why you think i am talking or referencing the “whiny Irish”.