[Football] What changes would you make to the international football schedule?

[Lenny Rider]

Maybe now we cruise to the finals with ease (thanks to the success of the PL) but very rarely is there games that are memorable or good in the qualifiers, certainly not the nations league.

Draw with Italy away/Croatia loss at home/Germany away / Greece home are the only 2 games I can remember being on the edge of my seat, the rest just merge into one.

Finals games are a bit different, there are a fair amount of them, however I wouldn't suggest changing them.

Gavi is now out for the season, the amount of football can't continue to increase, I guess you could make an argument for any game not being needed, but I cant think of many more pointless than most of the qualifiers we have to sit through.

Who benefits from Winning 14 - 0

Croatia at home!

I'd forgotten about the Wally With The Brolly

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

The health argument doesn’t work when there are only about 10 International game in a year, usually two per window that actually quite a small proportion of players play in.

If they cared about the players welfare then it’s the club matches that need reduced, most teams have the 38 PL games and then what ever they have in the two domestic cups, that’s before you start with Europe.

Internationals are not the problem.

You are travelling all over the globe, in a short amount of time, which doesn't allow a proper recovery after the last set of club games.

There is then games in a short period of times, with even more travelling, followed by another flight back.

Some of the challenges by lesser teams are terrible as they are not up to the level of the better teams.

 

[Littlemo]

You are travelling all over the globe, in a short amount of time, which doesn't allow a proper recovery after the last set of club games.

There is then games in a short period of times, with even more travelling, followed by another flight back.

Some of the challenges by lesser teams are terrible as they are not up to the level of the better teams.

All of which is done in the same way, much more often by any team in any of the European competitions. Not all of the players are flying off to Asia or America.

It’s a bullshit argument, club football is basically responsible for about 75% of a players games in a season and the timing/travel isn’t much different to playing in the league and the European competitions.

This whole thread is just one big “We don’t like it so they should get rid of it” style tantrum.

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

All of which is done in the same way, much more often by any team in any of the European competitions. Not all of the players are flying off to Asia or America.

It’s a bullshit argument, club football is basically responsible for about 75% of a players games in a season and the timing/travel isn’t much different to playing in the league and the European competitions.

This whole thread is just one big “We don’t like it so they should get rid of it” style tantrum.

What's the furthest they fly in Europe? 4 hours, with a couple hours of time difference and the ability to recover.

Of course it's different, as mentioned, you are more likely to get clumped by a non league standard player (not on purpose), there was a few horrible tackles by Malta on Friday.

International football is dying anyway, won't be around in the same format for too much longer.

 

[southstandandy]

Qualifying for tournaments done by a roulette wheel, no actual matches.

 

[Psychobilly freakout]

International football is dying anyway, won't be around in the same format for too much longer.

Yeah right'O....

Can't see the MAFIFA surrendering their main income source anytime soon, can you ?

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Yeah right'O....

Can't see the MAFIFA surrendering their main income source anytime soon, can you ?

Assuming it's going to be their choice, clubs are becoming way more powerful than FIFA, already scared UEFA into doing what they wanted.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

Assuming it's going to be their choice, clubs are becoming way more powerful than FIFA, already scared UEFA into doing what they wanted.

FIFA and UEFA retain the ultimate power of hosting the competitions from which the players careers will be judged.

As long as fans and players define a player from their performances in a world cup or european final then FIFA and UEFA will ultimately hold power

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

So football governing bodies ...... FIFA, UEFA, the PL, the FA, the football league, (and other domestic equivalents) are motivated by two things yeh.

Firstly they are motivated by money. They make money by putting on events (matches and competitions), so it stands to reason they keep putting on more events. Once an event is in, it's very hard to shift as no organisation wants to voluntarily reduce its income.

Secondly the individuals in it are motivated by the retention of power. To retain power, you have to include more and more of the people who vote you in. So Infantino wants to expand the world cup. Ceferin at Uefa knows he needs to milk these domestic Euro competitions for as many matches as possible, so that's why 3rd place teams will continue go to other competitions and why the Euro champs are likely to keep expanding. Ceferin, Infantino and other heads of governing bodies need to make as much money as poss, in order to spread it around the people who keep them in power.

So where does this end?

Well, with more fixtures.

But this ignores one key stakeholder. The players.

The fans will pay for more and more, the sponsors want more and more, the governing bodies want more and more. The media, certainly wants more and more.

But the players .... At one point, the players, I think, will strike. If they can organise and unionise successfully enough, they can force the governing bodies to get together and thrash out an equitable long term solution. The challenge of course is that competitions are set in place years and years in advance, so they would be striking for the following generation. But I think it will happen, maybe not soon.

 

[Psychobilly freakout]

So football governing bodies ...... FIFA, UEFA, the PL, the FA, the football league, (and other domestic equivalents) are motivated by two things yeh.

Firstly they are motivated by money. They make money by putting on events (matches and competitions), so it stands to reason they keep putting on more events. Once an event is in, it's very hard to shift as no organisation wants to voluntarily reduce its income.

Secondly the individuals in it are motivated by the retention of power. To retain power, you have to include more and more of the people who vote you in. So Infantino wants to expand the world cup. Ceferin at Uefa knows he needs to milk these domestic Euro competitions for as many matches as possible, so that's why 3rd place teams will continue go to other competitions and why the Euro champs are likely to keep expanding. Ceferin, Infantino and other heads of governing bodies need to make as much money as poss, in order to spread it around the people who keep them in power.

So where does this end?

Well, with more fixtures.

But this ignores one key stakeholder. The players.

The fans will pay for more and more, the sponsors want more and more, the governing bodies want more and more. The media, certainly wants more and more.

I and nearly everybody would agree with all of the above,

But the players .... At one point, the players, I think, will strike.

Pipe dream unfortunately, the main reason is the vast, and I mean vast salary differences not just in this country or around the world, but the leagues as well, I can't see a person on 250k a week having much in common with a player on maybe a few hundred or couple of grand, will they all go on strike because the elite are playing too much? I can see that being a large sticking point.

If they can organise and unionise successfully enough, they can force the governing bodies to get together and thrash out an equitable long term solution. The challenge of course is that competitions are set in place years and years in advance, so they would be striking for the following generation.

Which is another reason why it won't happen, people are selfish and non more so than the likes of mega rich superstars.

But I think it will happen, maybe not soon.

nope

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

What changes would you make to the international football schedule?​

I'd award Scotland automatic qualification to the knockout stages of every major tournament

 

[Psychobilly freakout]

What changes would you make to the international football schedule?​

I'd award Scotland automatic qualification to the knockout stages of every major tournament

that is not fair, that means every team that gets drawn against them in the first knockout stage gets a bye.

 

[Nobby Cybergoat]

What changes would you make to the international football schedule?​

I'd award Scotland automatic qualification to the knockout stages of every major tournament

I reckon the software the governing bodies use to schedule the latter stages of the tournament would have some sort of millennium bug type implosion were that to happen

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

that is not fair, that means every team that gets drawn against them in the first knockout stage gets a bye.

Racialist!

 

[Psychobilly freakout]

Racialist!

Realist.