FIFA/UEFA watch

[El Gato]

when will euro expansion end?? and what's the point of the UEFA nations league really?

Depends who you ask. Ask Armenia or N Macedonia how they feel about it. Then ask Germany or Spain. Will get two very different answers.
Was almost surely initially a good idea of someone backstage that ended up being taken by others as an opportunity to make another cash cow. Just like expansion culture - incessantly forcing in teams into matches they're not ready for to create a spectacle that will encompass more fans globally at one time and generate more money. But arguably there's also no better way to grow countries' football systems in less affluent places. They need opportunity even if us consumers will know a Bosnia would always end up losing 8 or 9 of 10 meetings with Germany. But I appreciate the mechanism being there more than some other people I know.

I think key problem is that the current FIFA/UEFA, as well as individual federations, are seriously out of touch with the calendar.
It's the next problem that has to be sorted and quickly or football quality will continue to suffer as players are asked to do more despite already performing at peak fitness (set aside whether either FIFA or UEFA will exist in few years time should Super League boot).
In some ways I think there should be a quota introduced on who each national team is allowed to call up for qualifiers or the Nations League. For example can only use 3 of the same players, who are also asked by clubs to feature in European cups, in both comps.
It's just madness to me that top players are asked to play up to 70 games per international tournament year. Every 2 years! I used to think most managers will understand a Kroos or a Ferran cannot play both the qualifiers and the Nations League around the clock all the time and bigger countries with more to pick from would end up using B teams in Nations League, but they seem to treat it seriously all the time. Which is in some ways admirable and we get to see the Nations League Final Four like we do but I'm really not sure this is good for players.
Player welfare has long been a secondary problem for these federations and it had to be sorted. Either they unionise or I don't know..

 

[FinBarcelonafan]

when will euro expansion end?? and what's the point of the UEFA nations league really?

FIFA/UEFA is money pumping organisation at this point. Not looking at the best of football but increasing their own profits and making football bad.

Increasing the amount of teams in Euro, World Cup and ruining CL with new format is outrageous decision. These competitions already has too many bad teams and boring matches. Quality of games are even more watered down for making more money. Less prestigious to make it to Euro or World CUp as well. Big failure from UEFA/FIFA. Not to mention how they dealt with Russian situation.. Letting them play qualifiers to World Cup.

Karma will get you.

 

[BarcaOG]

thanks for those detailed posts guys. i know little about this so i cant respond with anything meaningful

its just striking to me just how congested the football calendars are getting. expanding these competitions, adding new ones, etc etc i mean if this keeps ups we're going to be looking at 60-70 games per season for some teams!! thats just madness

 

[Andresito]

Another moronic speech lol

Women should 'pick the right fights' - Infantino

Fifa president Gianni Infantino says women who "pick the right fights" can "convince us men what we have to do" to bring progress in women's football.

www.bbc.com

 

[soul24rage]

"In 2030, the FIFA World Cup will unite three continents and six countries, inviting the entire world to join in the celebration of the beautiful game, the Centenary and the FIFA World Cup itself. The FIFA Council unanimously agreed that the sole candidacy will be the combined bid of Morocco, Portugal, and Spain, which will host the event in 2030 and qualify automatically from the existing slot allocation subject to the completion of a successful bidding process conducted by FIFA and a decision by the FIFA Congress in 2024.

Additionally, having taken into account the historical context of the first-ever FIFA World Cup, the FIFA Council further unanimously agreed to host a unique centenary celebration ceremony in Uruguay's capital, Montevideo, where the first ever FIFA World Cup took place in 1930, as well as three World Cup matches in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay respectively"

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1709585146683212153

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1709583390263930889

FIFA = absolute clowns

 

[El Gato]

Infantino special

I truly hope Arg, Uru and Par dont get automatic qualification, crash out and Brazil play Spain in Buenos Aires

 

[Andresito]

[José Félix Díaz] FIFA World Cup 2030 Final will take place at the Santiago Bernabéu

 

[El Gato]

Flo will be 82-83. Can certainly see he's been lobbying for it

 

[fergus90]

Can FIFA ever make a sensible decision for once.

 

[Porque]

Saudi will also play their opening game in Saudi Arabia to commemorate their 2034 bid, with the referee too wearing a thawb for cultural awareness. FIFA also announced that anyone playing in the Saudi league is also eligible for the Saudi national team.

Good moves all around.

 

[Andresito]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1709884729724387431

 

[Porque]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1709884729724387431

That's nothing. My world was already shattered this morning when I work up and saw Fabrizio Romano do a Here We Go for Pepsi.