Uefa ponder radical change to qualifying
One concept being considered by the European governing body following last month’s congress in Croatia is switching from the current guise to a league format, provisionally entitled the ‘Uefa Nations League’.
It centres on clustering closely-ranked nations into nine divisions, thereby eliminating the all-too-frequent ‘big country versus minnow’ match so commonplace in qualifying campaigns.
The FAI, represented at the summit in Dubrovnic by chief executive John Delaney and president Paddy McCaul, last night refused to comment on the proposals.
Uefa, however, did confirm an exploratory review is under way with an update possibly due back to the 54 member nations at the next gathering of congress, due to be held in Kazakhstan in March.
The spokesperson insisted the appraisal was being driven by nations intent on “raising the profile of international football”.
He said: “Certainly, more exposure for international football is desirable and the congress meeting has started the debate. A number of options will be looked at by Uefa.”
Also part of the review process are the dates of the international calendar of friendly matches which — within the corridors of power — are seen as ripe for improvement.
Should the league competition gain approval and happen in the two years after each European Championship, it might be seen as a direct replacement to Fifa’s World Cup qualifying rounds.
Confirmation that this idea has taken flight came yesterday from Norwegian FA president Yngve Hallen, who sits on Uefa’s national committee for international tournaments.
“It is true that a series of games is one of the models being discussed,” he said.
The basic principles of the Nations League would be as follows: Uefa’s 54 nations would be allocated into divisions where the top sides — like Spain, Holland, Germany and Italy — would face each other in the ‘first division’. The group comprising the second tier of nations would be in the ‘second division’, and so on.
The winner of the first division would be Uefa’s Nations League champion, and win a prestigious prize. The bottom side in the division would be relegated and replaced by the top side in the second division. Promotion and relegation would continue further down the tiers. In future, the status of the divisions in Uefa’s Nations League could form the basis for qualifying for future European Championship tournaments.
The expansion of the Euros tournament from 16 to 24 teams has raised legitimate concerns that qualification is not interesting enough for the biggest football nations. This is one of the reasons the powers-that-be have floated the creation of a ‘championship of champions’.
Hallen added: “Uefa organises the qualification for the World Cup too.
Still, it is most likely that any changes will be made ahead of Euro 2020.
“The success of the Champions League has already inspired the Europa League. This is also something they are trying to look at in connection with the Nations League — how this can sharpen the market.
“That’s what this is largely about.
“But there have been very clear political guidelines from all 54 federations that the focus needs to be on the football/competitive aspect. All countries should have equal opportunities.
“No one should have to qualify for this tournament — everyone plays from the first game. And then there is also a recognition that tournament form should be easy to understand for most people. All this we need to work out.”
Karl-Erik Nilsson of the Swedish FA said: “There is some motivation within Uefa, and that’s a positive sign. This is an exciting idea.”
Such a sea-change would appear to impair Ireland’s prospects of being involved in high-calibre international games. As a middle-ranking nation, attracting crowds to the Aviva Stadium may become even trickier than recent years, though games against the likes of the Faroes and Andorra would be no more.
Spain, Germany, Holland, Italy, England, Portugal.
Russia, Greece, Croatia, Sweden, France, Belgium.
Ukraine, Denmark, Switzerland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Turkey, Czech Republic.
Ireland, Serbia, Norway, Slovakia, Hungary, Israel.
Slovenia, Austria, Romania, Montenegro, Poland, Finland.
Scotland, Armenia, Bulgaria, Latvia, Estonia, Belarus.
Wales, Northern Ireland, Albania, Iceland, Lithuania, Macedonia.
Georgia, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Luxembourg, Cyprus, Kazakhstan.
Liechtenstein, Faroe Islands, Malta, Andorra, San Marino, Gibraltar.
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