No seeds for Euro play-off draw

THE draw for the Euro 2004 qualifying play-offs will not be seeded, UEFA decided yesterday.

The 10 qualifying group runners-up will be drawn from the same pot on October 13 in Frankfurt, Germany to decide the five two-legged play-offs.

“The UEFA Executive Committee decided unanimously to maintain the system of no seeding for the playoff draw procedure,” UEFA communications director Mike Lee said. “The committee took the view that this procedure is the simplest and fairest.”

The winners of the play-offs, which will take place on November 15/16 and November 18/19, will join hosts Portugal and the 10 group winners at the tournament.

Defending champions France, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria and Sweden have already qualified for Portugal, with Holland and Slovenia the only two sides certain of being in the play-offs before the final round of qualifiers on October 11.

The Republic of Ireland are one of the teams that may end up in a play-off. Going into the final game in Switzerland on October 11, Ireland boss Brian Kerr knows a victory will guarantee them either automatic qualification or a play-off spot, while anything less than three points could be the end of the road.

If UEFA had decided to introduce seeding for the play-offs, Ireland would, if they were in the play-offs, have been in the top seeds, thus avoiding some of the bigger guns.

Slovenia and Holland will be joined in the play-offs by Russia, the Republic of Ireland or Switzerland, Italy or Wales, England or Turkey, Norway, Bosnia, Denmark or Romania, Greece or Spain, Hungary, Poland or Latvia and Germany, Iceland or Scotland.

Scotland still have a chance of making the play-offs and David Taylor, chief executive of the Scottish FA, welcomed UEFA’s decision.

Scotland will be in the draw if they beat Lithuania at Hampden Park on October 11 and Germany avoid defeat at home to Iceland the same day.