Van Basten calls for World Cup pre-qualifying

Holland coach Marco van Basten has called for the so-called minnows of European football to be made to play preliminary qualifying matches between themselves prior to taking part in the qualifying stages proper of the World Cup.

After watching his side dismantle Andorra 3-0 on Wednesday night, Van Basten proposed the radical move to avoid such mismatches happening in future.

“On the one hand, these kind of games are good because teams now have to show other qualities, but on the other hand you can say: throw these games off the schedule,” he told www.vi.nl.

“Especially when you look at the enormous amount of games that must be played each year internationally. You can make these kind of games disappear by letting those small countries play qualifying rounds between themselves.”

The proposal followed the post-match comments of star striker Ruud van Nistelrooy who said: “Countries like Andorra have nothing to gain in the qualification round for a World Cup.”