<div><figure class="external-image"><img src="/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/fifa.jpg" alt="fifa.jpg"></figure></div>
It’s time for FIFA to rethink international football.
In 1992, UEFA changed the European Cup to the Champions League and transformed European club football into a more entertaining product that generates vast sums of money. It also didn’t hurt that the tournament now attracts a cumulative television audience of 4 billion viewers in 227 countries.
While club football in the form of the Champions League, Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and Bundesliga has flourished, international football has come far less important with each passing year. Sure, we football fans still love the massive tournaments such as the World Cup, Copa America and European Championships, but the rest of international football competitions are mundane and an inconvenience.
Take England, for example. Their first match in their 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign kicked off last Saturday against Andorra. Between now and the next 14 months, England will play nine other matches against the likes of Kazakhstan, Belarus, Ukraine, Andorra and Croatia. Other than the home and away leg against Croatia, the list of future England matches hardly inspires any enthusiasm.
One of the main problems about international football is that other than the actual tournaments themselves, the qualifying matches and friendlies are – for the most part – dire. By increasing the number of teams that play in major tournaments and increasing the number of countries to participate in qualifying rounds, teams like England suffer a long and arduous process just to enter the World Cup and European Championships.
Sure, we shouldn’t take it for granted that teams like England should qualify for these tournaments, but there has to be a better system for reducing the length of the qualification process.
The way that internationals interrupt league football throughout the season is frustrating for football fans, players and the football managers and club owners. Everyone loses. Players are exhausted after flying halfway around the world and then are expected to come back and play club football the following Saturday. Fans are frustrated that the momentum from the start to the new season has been stopped, while club managers and owners do battle with football associations and national managers trying to find new ways to prevent their star players from competing in international games.
The solution is to cease the 14 month qualification process and replace it with a mini-tournament to determine which nations will qualify for the European Championships or World Cup. The mini-tournament would be held within the space of 30 days — thus allowing players and fans to watch teams compete to qualify for the major competitions. The solution would be more attractive to players, fans, club managers, owners and would hopefully appease the football associations.
I don’t pretend to have all of the answers, but I do believe that FIFA needs to look into changing international football to make it something we can believe in again. Hopefully they’ll do that before it’s too late, if it’s not too late already.
What do you think? Is international football fine the way it is, or should FIFA step in and rethink the way the qualification processes for tournaments are organized?

FIFA Needs To Revamp International Football

FIFA Needs To Revamp International Football - World Soccer Talk

<div><figure class="external-image"><img src="/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/argentina-1978-world-cup-logo.gif" alt="argentina-1978-world-cup-logo.gif" align="right" vspace="15" hspace="15"></figure></div>Ask any soccer fan about their favorite World Cup memory and you’ll immediately see a smile on their face and hear the enthusiasm in his or her voice. My favorite memory was my first World Cup when I saw <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=d1axsnMRbbo" target="_blank">Archie Gemmill</a> go on that incredible run to score against Holland in 1978 in Argentina.
Over the years, the World Cup has become more about the experience and less about the football. There are many reasons for this, but a major one is the over-commercialization of the sport. UEFA’s European Football Championship is not immune to selling out soccer either, but the competition is far superior to the World Cup in many ways. Here’s my top five list of the reasons why the Euros are better than Copa Mundial:
<ol>
<li>No third place final. I’ve watched almost every World Cup match from 1978 to 2006, but in all of those years I think I’ve only watched the third place final once. The match is a waste of time for the players, the fans and the TV audience. Thank heavens UEFA skips this meaningless match.</li>
<li>Fewer teams competing. Sometimes less is more especially when you consider that Euro 2008 features 16 teams, while the 2010 World Cup in South Africa will feature 32. With 16 teams, you have the best teams who deserve to have qualified for the tournament. With 32, you usually end up with several minnows that get thrashed in the opening round and that don’t deserve to be there.</li>
<li>Better quality football overall. It used to be that you looked forward to the World Cup to see the contrasting styles of play and how the different countries displayed their football characteristics against other nations. But the game has become one giant melting pot and what comes out of the other end is a similar style of football played worldwide. As a result, the World Cup matches have become less interesting while the games involving European countries are more enjoyable to watch (Italy versus Spain, and France versus Romania aside).</li>
<li>Less burnout for players and fans. Every four years soccer fans get so excited at the prospect of the World Cup but due to the sheer number of games, TV watchers get burned out. There are only so many games on consecutive days that you can watch. And the same applies to players. After a long season, it’s difficult for footballers to maintain the highest levels at a World Cup. At least the Euros are much shorter and less physically stressful.</li>
<li>Less hype. The amount of media coverage of each World Cup is mindboggling. The hype builds up so much that it’s often impossible for the actual football games to live up to the expectations of the media and fans. In contrast, the European Football Championship generate lots of media exposure but nowhere near the levels that Copa Mundial produces.</li>
</ol>
Do you agree or disagree? Share your feedback by clicking the comments link below.

5 Reasons Why The European Football Championship Is Better Than The World Cup

5 Reasons Why The European Football Championship Is Better Than The World Cup - World Soccer Talk

<div><figure class="external-image"><img src="/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/euro-2008-logo2.jpg" alt="Euro 2008 logo" align="right" vspace="15" hspace="15"></figure></div>If you live in the United States and you have ESPN Classic on your satellite or cable package, you’re in for a treat over the next two weeks. Earlier today (Monday, May 26), ESPN Classic broadcasted the 1972 European Championship final between West Germany and USSR. If you’re like me, you missed it (ESPN Classic has no plans to show the matches again in the near future, so set your DVRs).
Thankfully, ESPN Classic has more European Championship Finals in store. Each weekday night at 7pm ET between now and the beginning of Euro 2008, the TV network will air all of the Euro finals from 1972 to 2004.
Here’s the schedule:
Monday, May 26, 7pm ET: 
West Germany v USSR, 1972 Final
Tuesday, May 27, 7pm ET: 
Czechoslovakia v West Germany, 1976 Final
Wednesday, May 28, 7pm ET: 
West Germany v Belgium, 1980 Final
Thursday, May 29, 7pm ET: 
Spain v France, 1984 Final, 1984 Final
Friday, May 30, 7pm ET: 
Netherlands v Russia, 1988 Final
Monday, June 2, 7pm ET: 
Denmark v Germany, 1992 Final
Tuesday, June 3, 7pm ET: 
Germany v Czech Republic, 1996 Final
Wednesday, June 4, 7pm ET: 
France v Italy, 2000 Final
Thursday, June 5, 7pm ET: 
Portugal v Greece, 2004 Final

TV Schedule for European Championship Matches On ESPN Classic

TV Schedule for European Championship Matches On ESPN Classic - World Soccer Talk

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FIFA Needs To Revamp International Football

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5 Reasons Why The European Football Championship Is Better Than The World Cup

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TV Schedule for European Championship Matches On ESPN Classic