International sports bar

[Hastur]

Tournaments don't really determine the best anyway. If you wanted to do that, you'd have some ongoing round robbin deal with computers analyzing the results. That would be a blast.

Nah, you can just let the best teams in, and not subsidize shitty teams because their region needs to bring a certain number of teams, to be inclusive of all regions of the world, even if they suck at soccer. That doesn't make the tournament better, your imagination being unable to come up with a better system the current setup, that is your fault, it's not hard to imagine a better system, that result in better quality tournament, a monkey could do it.

The rules for qualifying isn't about entertainment, money, or sports, it's about politics, that's the problem. It's about what FIFA thinks is best for itself, not what's best for the World Cup or Soccer. Hell they are undermining their profits by leaving Italy out, and you know it, don't give me that shit it's all about money and entertainment, it's not in the case of why the rules for World Cup Qualification are what they are. Letting the nations that are already into soccer, get into the tournament, that is more profitable than letting nations who aren't into soccer qualify so that hopefully they'll like soccer in the future, nah son, you milk the cash cows you don't create rules that can make it so they don't qualify even if they do way better in qualification then other teams who did qualify.

That makes no sense unless you are snorting Humanitarian Pixie Dust, which FIFA clearly is, and heavily. The best against the best leads to the most entertaining soccer, that way the underdog spot can shine on more deserving teams, instead of teams with absolutely no chance of winning. So the cinderella effect is still in play, you don't need shit teams to make a tournament more enjoyable, that doesn't work.

The qualifications are part of the World Cup. If you want to see Italy play you had your chance. This year they weren't good enough to go farther. They have what is probably the best defense in the world and the best goalkeeper. What they lack, at the moment is good forwards. Look at Serie A. All the best strikers are non Italians. 180 minutes against Sweden without scoring illustrates the problem. They will bounce back.

[StCapps]

The qualifications are part of the World Cup. If you want to see Italy play you had your chance. This year they weren't good enough to go farther. They have what is probably the best defense in the world and the best goalkeeper. What they lack, at the moment is good forwards. Look at Serie A. All the best strikers are non Italians. 180 minutes against Sweden without scoring illustrates the problem. They will bounce back.

I'm sure the Azzurri will bounce back, but the point remains, the rules for World Cup Qualification suck, and it's real easy to come up with better rules for World Cup Qualification, but FIFA is too dumb to change the rules accordingly, because they are playing political games with a sporting event.

Italy is one of the best teams in Europe, despite not qualifying for the World Cup, even during a down year. They would have qualified if reasonable qualification rules were in place, but that obviously is not the case, so they were forced into a playoff and choked.

[SuburbanFarmer]

they were forced into a playoff and choked.

So... they should have been placed into another playoff, because they would not choke against better teams?

You just shot your argument in the foot.

[StCapps]

they were forced into a playoff and choked.

So... they should have been placed into another playoff, because they would not choke against better teams?

You just shot your argument in the foot.

No but Strawman Capps sure did.


Under proper qualification criteria, Italy wouldn't have have been required to play a playoff to qualify.
Under current criteria, Panama went 3W-4D-3L, with a shitty goal differential, finishing third in as shitty group, yet qualified, no playoff required. Italy went 7W-2D-1L and had a great goal differential, finishing second in a solid group, playoff required to qualify, choked in the playoff. Do you see the absurdity of that?

[SuburbanFarmer]

they were forced into a playoff and choked.

So... they should have been placed into another playoff, because they would not choke against better teams?

You just shot your argument in the foot.

No but Strawman Capps sure did.


Under proper qualification criteria, Italy wouldn't have have been required to play a playoff to qualify.
Under current criteria, Panama went 3W-4D-3L, with a shitty goal differential, in as shitty group, yet qualified, no playoff required. Italy went 7W-2D-1L and had a great goal differential, in a solid group, playoff required to qualify, choked in the playoff. Do you see

They had to play one extra game, against a 'lesser team', and lost. And you're upset that they weren't allowed to just skip ahead and play better teams.

[StCapps]

They had to play one extra game, against a 'lesser team', and lost. And you're upset that they weren't allowed to just skip ahead and play better teams.

A team who was far lesser than the team they lost to, qualified without a playoff. Panama never had to face a team like Sweden in the playoffs to qualify, even though they did vastly worse than Italy in qualifying, and against lesser competition to boot.

[SuburbanFarmer]

They had to play one extra game, against a 'lesser team', and lost. And you're upset that they weren't allowed to just skip ahead and play better teams.

A team who was far lesser than the team they lost to, qualified without a playoff. Panama never had to face a team like Sweden in the playoffs to qualify, even though they did vastly worse than Italy in qualifying, and against lesser competition to boot.

And now both inferior teams are eliminated, both regions got to feel part of the process, and the elite teams will still play each other.

[Martin Hash]

Deciding Peru vs. New Zealand game tonight. Of course, I got my FPF shirt on.

[Montegriffo]

Deciding Peru vs. New Zealand game tonight. Of course, I got my FPF shirt on.

Come on the commonwealth. Go Kiwis

[StCapps]

They had to play one extra game, against a 'lesser team', and lost. And you're upset that they weren't allowed to just skip ahead and play better teams.

A team who was far lesser than the team they lost to, qualified without a playoff. Panama never had to face a team like Sweden in the playoffs to qualify, even though they did vastly worse than Italy in qualifying, and against lesser competition to boot.

And now both inferior teams are eliminated, both regions got to feel part of the process, and the elite teams will still play each other.

Panama got in the World Cup, they weren't eliminated, despite going 3-4-3 when Italy went 7-2-1. How shitty is your reading comprehension?