Football Fanats 2013

[BonzaiJoe]

You have no chance of being the worst second place team. The second best team in our group currently has less points than you.

No, the second place team might change, and they have one more match than us (of course counting matches only against 1st, 3rd-5th place teams). And our remaining match is against Holland... and we are the second worst second place team.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_FIFA_World_Cup_qualification_%28UEFA%29

Btw a Turkish win against Holland would send us to 4th place in the group, that would be the worst.

You're right. That's really stupid though. There's no reason to ignore matches against the 6th seed unless the runner-up from the 5-team group is 9th.
And what about group E, which has the 6th seed (Iceland) in 2nd place?

[Usrin]

You're right. That's really stupid though. There's no reason to ignore matches against the 6th seed unless the runner-up from the 5-team group is 9th.
And what about group E, which has the 6th seed (Iceland) in 2nd place?

They don't ignore matches against the 6th seed team, but against the 6th placed team in the group. This would be quite lucky for Iceland: they might be the only potential 2nd placed team who lost against the 6th (Cyprus-Iceland 1-0).

[Akoss Poo a.k.a. Zorromeister]

You have no chance of being the worst second place team. The second best team in our group currently has less points than you.

No, the second place team might change, and they have one more match than us (of course counting matches only against 1st, 3rd-5th place teams). And our remaining match is against Holland... and we are the second worst second place team.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_FIFA_World_Cup_qualification_%28UEFA%29

Btw a Turkish win against Holland would send us to 4th place in the group, that would be the worst.

You're right. That's really stupid though. There's no reason to ignore matches against the 6th seed unless the runner-up from the 5-team group is 9th.
And what about group E, which has the 6th seed (Iceland) in 2nd place?

Not the seeding is what counts, but the position in the group. That's why second place team might change in your group (currently: Bulgaria, though they were only 4th seed), and that's why even sixth place team might change in some of the groups (that would mean different matches might get ignored in the end). Since Group I has only 5 teams (only 53 teams belong to UEFA, not 54), it had to be introduced that the matches against 6th placed teams don't count.

[BonzaiJoe]

I understand that they had to develop a way to compare the 5-team group with the 6-team groups, but why is this method used to compare 6-team groups with each other? You're not a better team if you lose to a crap team and win against a good team, than if you win against a crap team and lose against a good team.

[BonzaiJoe]

Also, seedings shouldn't be based on the FIFA ranking, but only on the amount of points scored in previous qualification tournaments.

[Chulk]

Europe qualy system is too complicated having play-off and all. FIFA should find a way to include another country an make it 54 (for example: winner of "OFC Nations cup" could join Europe qualy) and make things easier. 6 groups of 9, top 2 per group + best 3º position.


I would actually prefer World Cups with less teams.
24 teams, where the best 8 seeds go straight into 1/8 finals. The other 16 teams form 4 groups of 4 teams each and the best 2 advance to 1/8. Random selection of the matches in 1/8 and play-off straight to the finals.
That way we wouldn't have so many crappy teams qualified...

[Akoss Poo a.k.a. Zorromeister]

@BJ: I agree, the previous system was fairer and better. By fixing some easy friendly matches, you can improve your seeding - that's ridiculous. Also I think that improves the world ranking position of non-European, non-South American teams, since they play more harder games (against each other!)  than teams from other continent.

@Chulk: But when Europe host a World Cup (or an European Championship), 1 or 2 teams don't have to play qualifiers, therefore, even 54 teams would be a bit few. Though, if we remain with the 9 groups in Europe, I think we should ensure a place for the worst second placed team in the playoffs as well (the worst ranking can be due to strength of other teams for example); it would be fairer if the worst second placed team also played a playoff match - against the worst first place team maybe.

[CTG]

Audi Hungaria U16 football cup:

Györi ETO FC - FC Barcelona 2-0!

Beware Europe, we are coming!!!

[CTG]

Villareal - Real Madrid, 71th minute: Tomás Pina on the field!!!

[BonzaiJoe]

Yes, what a great name. And a great result of the match, too!

All in all, a wonderful Saturday. Chelsea lost, Real Madrid drew, Tottenham won (with a great debut for Christian Eriksen), and local small (but playing in the 2nd best league) team Brønshøj won 3-0 against Vendsyssel from Northern Jutland.

Brønshøj is a small pocket of old football culture, deep in the dreary suburbs of Copenhagen. Brønshøj are known as 'the wasps' because they play in black and yellow stripes. They've got a small stadium with a capacity of about 1000 spectators. Old local activists serve beer and grilled sausages at half time, and they don't take credit cards. It's a club with a solid history (founded 1919), and it's got a devoted fan base. About 100 dedicated fans who are there at every home match. Around 30 or 40 of them call themselves 'the Drunken Army' (and they've got t-shirts to prove it). They sing, loudly and completely out tune, for 90 minutes on end. Whether winning or losing, the songs are full of humor and irony. When Brønshøj win, the players come over and run along the grandstand, high-fiving the fans.
When not playing football, the players take part in projects to help integration in the area through football (the area has a lot of poor immigrants and unruly immigrant adolescents).
Last year, Brønshøj came close to a promotion to the 'Superliga', the top league. Unfortunately they collapsed in the last 5 matches. Anyway it would have meant some drastic changes which might not have been good in the long run.

[Chulk]

Sounds like an army I'd join!

[CTG]

Fvck Real Madrid & Manchester United!

[BonzaiJoe]

Good job by FC København 

[CTG]

Yeah, I liked that result very much. Poo?

[Akoss Poo a.k.a. Zorromeister]

Hatvan-Kazincbarcika 2-1 (2-0)... too bad...

Juventus, too... what the heck is going on here?