Irish keen to avoid friendly French
O’Neill’s problem is with the fact that, in an unprecedented move, UEFA are allowing the hosts of the finals in two years’ time to participate in one of the qualifying groups, even though the games they play will be regarded as friendlies, with no points at stake.
The move, according to UEFA, is designed to ensure that the French have enough warm-up games in the build-up to the finals, something which previous tournament hosts have struggled to achieve. But, in common with many other critics of the initiative, Martin O’Neill is not impressed and doesn’t think that drawing France – in what would in reality be a five-team group – would do Ireland any favours.
“It would be strange, but seemingly it’s done for political purposes,” he observed ahead of the draw which Roy Keane will also attend.
“France, instead of waiting a couple of years for the opportunity to play — a bit like England had to do in 1996 – then have this opportunity to go and play at the international times. It is something that has been put in. If we are in that group, I would probably consider that to be unlucky. I would prefer if we were not. You have a competitive mindset and the last thing you want is to have qualifiers interspersed with some sort of friendly game that is of no great consequence. If it is, I will have to take it. But, I think, from a distance again, that it would disrupt momentum. (Although) if you have just come off a bad result it just might actually be a re-ignition of something. But, overall, I would prefer not to be in that sort of group.”
In another significant break with tradition, European football’s new centralised TV rights deal means that it will be UEFA, in consultation with the broadcasters, who will determine each group’s fixture list, with that information expected to emerge some hours after this morning’s draw.
To Martin O’Neill’s disappointment then, he comes to international management after the passing of the era when rival football associations rolled up their sleeves and haggled over the match schedule.
“I think there is a little bit lost,” he said. “Yeah, I would have liked to have been in a little room with some other country arguing the toss. It would have been nice to have organised it although the chances are, with my sort of skills, we would end up playing something like seven consecutive away games!
“I think there’s something lost. It would have been nice after the draw to be walking in and out and feeling ‘ah yeah, we got that game played then’. But if it’s all set up it takes that out of the equation.”
In terms of some of the opposition Ireland might encounter, O’Neill remarked that he sees no real difference in quality between Pot Two and Pot Three. “None, absolutely not,” he said, “I see some teams in Pot Three which are very strong.”
And while Ireland’s manager wasn’t inclined to give any hostages to fortune ahead of the draw, he couldn’t refrain from smiling at the possible implications of his old friend Pat Jennings being one of the football legends engaged in today’s ceremonials here in Nice.
“If he draws Northern Ireland, I will tell you what....” O’Neill grinned, leaving that tantalising thought hanging in the air.
Before heading to Nice, O’Neill will attend Chelsea v Everton at Stamford Bridge while Roy Keane will watch Burnely hosting Nottingham Forest .
The Qualifiers will be made up of eight groups of six and one of five teams (plus France). The nine group winners, the nine group runners-up and the best third-placed side will qualify directly for the finals in France. The eight remaining third-placed teams will contest play-offs to determine the last four qualifiers.
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