Suggested Changes to 2014 World Cup Qualifiers

FIFA drew recently teams for the 2010 World Cup qualification. Ironically, England and Croatia will go at it again. With the exciting battle in the Euro 2008 qualifiers passed, FIFA feels it is only fitting to require the same qualification process again for World Cup 2010. And not just on a UEFA level, but on a global level. It has always been this way, so why change a thing, right? Wrong.

Think about the past few World Cups. Qualified teams assemble the best teams they possibly can. Some players will have nagging injuries and will fight through those. Others may not make it at all due to injuries. And, there are some who are so burned out from club play that they are just showing up to keep the sponsors happy. Regrettably, it presents exhausted or uninterested players who go through the motions for almost half of their games in the World Cup, and then crank it up when it matters most. The World Cup showcases the most talented teams and determines who the best is for that period of time. My opinion is that players are played too much prior to the start of the World Cup and this has affected the quality of play. I suggest the qualification process be shortened for the best teams and taken to a global level for the fringe teams. The result would provide healthier teams for the World Cup and higher level of interest in the game by the world and the players.

For the best teams, FIFA should apply the regional tournament results for qualification. Teams that win or place in these tournaments should be granted World Cup qualification. From the regional tournaments and the host nation, the first 16 World Cup qualifiers would be filled as the following:

UEFA (6): 1st through 6th Place in the Euro Cup.
CONMEBOL (3): 1st through 3rd Place in Copa America.
AFC (2): 1st & 2nd Places in Asian Nations Cup.
CAF (2): 1st & 2nd Places in African Nations Cup.
CONCACAF (2): 1st & 2nd Places in Gold Cup.
Host Nation (1)

For the fringe teams, a second chance would be given. There would be 48 fringe teams battling for the remaining 16 slots. The suggested scenarios for the fringe teams to qualify are the following:

1. Two rounds of home and away series for teams that advanced in their regional tournaments, but lost before gaining qualification placement. FIFA would either rank teams to determine who plays who or arrange for an auto-playoff, such as the 7th place team from Euro 2008 will play the 8th place team from the Gold Cup. Round One would be comprised of lower ranking teams battling to advance against the higher ranked fringed team in Round Two. So, the higher ranked teams would have a Round One bye. I prefer the ranking situation since it leads to random match-ups. Imagine a Round One match up of Republic of Ireland vs. Bolivia and the winner taking on a team the likes of an England or a Nigeria. Has Bolivia ever played any of these teams?

2. Cross regional group qualification for the 48 fringe teams that advanced in their regional tournaments, but lost before gaining qualification placement. These teams would be arranged in 8 groups of 6 teams. Each team would play the other countries in home and away and the top two teams from each group would advance to the World Cup. This would resemble a UEFA qualification for World Cup. Imagine a qualifying group of Austria, Costa Rica, Iran, Paraguay, New Zealand and Senegal. How often does someone from Senegal travel to New Zealand?

Both scenarios provide more exposure for countries that do not get regularly a chance to compete with countries outside of its region. For scenario #1, it reduces the number of qualifiers and would not be as costly. For scenario #2, it would be more expensive and may be an equal number of qualifiers for some countries in today’s set-up. But, scenario #2 would bring qualification to a global scale and the revenues should surpass the costs.

The soonest FIFA could improve qualification would be in 2011 after the Euro 2012 qualifiers. These amendments could then be applied for the 2014 World Cup, but don’t hold your breath. Obviously for this to work, some changes would have to be made, such as increasing the number of countries in regional championships and the scheduling of regional tournaments. My suggestion is not to change the World Cup format of 32 teams, but to reroute the World Cup to a more enjoyable passage, which requires fewer repairs upon arrival.

2 Miles High - Cienciano de Cuzco

Up where the llamas roam like taxis on Park Avenue, there brews a potent controversy. And like the famous coca leaf tea (required consumption in the fight against altitude sickness), it packs a strong kick. At almost 11,000 feet above sea level, Cuzco, Peru must make Denver seem swampy in comparison. Cuzco is the home of the great little Peruvian soccer club: Cienciano FC.

Cienciano FC won their fame not in the icy, cannibalistic aftermath of some Andean plane crash, but rather on the field at Lockhart Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. (This writer got to see Pearl Jam there back in 1996 under threat of Tropical Storm with Soccer-Point invited blogger Eugene - Euge!) Cienciano FC beat Argentina's powerful Boca Juniors soccer club there in the 2004 Recopa Sudamericana. A similar victory for American sports lovers to better understand the upset would be if Rice University beat UT in football.



The athletes who train at 2 miles high have a clear advantage over their puny-chested lowland counterparts. So FIFA has ruled that no international games can be played over a mile and a half above sea level (2,500 meters). Sepp Blatter (an Alpine Swiss no less!) handed down the decision earlier this year.

From Wikipedia: "In 2007, Blatter decided that no football matches will be played above 2999 metres (9839 feet) above sea level. This arbitrary number was revised to 3000 meters on June 26, 2007. This may have been aimed to split the opposition group formed by Colombia, Ecuador (who play at altitudes below 3000 meters but above 2500) Bolivia and Peru (with stadia above 3000 meters). This has dramatic consequences for the Bolivian national team, whose stadium is located more than 3000 metres above sea level. Blatter commented that football matches at extreme altitudes belong to the past, and that they are risky for player's health. However, no comprehensive medical studies have been shown to prove this. The andean nations retort saying that playing in hot, humid, sea level temperature is in fact more dangerous, citing the death of Marc Vivien Foe as an example."

It's hard to imagine losing the possibility of hosting international matches. But my cousin contracted a mean case of altitude sickness in Cuzco last year. She had a miserable time of it. (Mind you, she wasn't preparing for a soccer game either...) So, given the pressures of participation in international team play, it's easy to understand the sober meaning behind this decision. The Swollen Ones of Cuzco will have to make do in lower lying areas to prove themselves for now. It's just sad to see the passion for soccer in the community of Cuzco be pushed aside so swiftly by FIFA.