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Time to organise things properly?

First ever post so play fair...

I have just been reading the BBC article about South Africa World Cup organising head Danny Jordaan's comments regarding player burnout at the World Cup.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2010/8807476.stm

Agreement with what he says really... let's have a unified football calendar, let's have the individual confederations have their Cup every 2 years at the same time... Afcon, Euros etc, World Cup every 4 years. I know this means TV rights for the Euros and Afcon etc will be diminished but means every country is on a level playing field when it comes to the WC.

Scrap the Confederations Cup (the international equivalent of the thankfully abolished InterToto!) it is effectively a Cup winners mini version of the World Cup so what is the point?

All major leagues have 18 teams in the top tier... INCLUDING the Premier League!

All leagues have some kind of 2 week winter break... INCLUDING the Premier League!

Suddenly we have a level playing field for all nations and leagues and hopefully better competitions all round.

If only everything was that simple...
Richard Charles-Jones, Bath Posted 10/07/2010 at 15:53:18

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Karl Masters
1 Posted 10/07/2010 at 17:26:20

Player burn-out will do us a favour next season.

Jags and Baines nicely rested, Pienaar, Cahill, Howard, Yak and Yobo home relatively early so only Johnny H will have played a long time, but if the Dutch win the World Cup he'll be floating on air for a while at least.

Contrast that with the 'Ingerland Boys' from Chelsea, Manure, LFC, Villa, Spurs and Man City who spent 7 weeks after the season ended in a training camp akin to a Bootcamp by all accounts ending in humiliation and recriminations all round. Don't think they'll be too fresh come August 14 - only 5 weeks away.

The 24-year rule is getting some extra assistance this time............ :)

Brendan O'Doherty
2 Posted 10/07/2010 at 19:54:25

"Let's have a unified football calendar, let's have the individual confederations have their Cup every 2 years at the same time... Afcon, Euros etc, World Cup every 4 years."

I can't see what you're getting at Richard. How does having the Euros every 2 years help player burn-out? That would compound the problem. As Jordaan's comments hinted at in the article, the Afcon caused fatigue for the African players in the same year as a World Cup.

They should reduce the frequency of it and have it in the European off-season for the benefit of the African players. And there is no way you could have 2 qualifying campaigns for the Euros and a World Cup qualifying campaign all in the space of 4 years. It's not practical.

Dave Smith
3 Posted 10/07/2010 at 22:30:26

"All major leagues have 18 teams in the top tier... INCLUDING the Premier League!"

That has always seemed too European to me. A winter break would offset the fatigue suffered by the those in Europe. I don't see how 4 game's can make that much difference. Lower league's manage it, and they play 46 game's a season.

Dick Fearon
4 Posted 10/07/2010 at 23:06:45

While they are at it they may as well go the whole hog:

1. The 4th official to be the only time keeper.
2. Use goal line technology or extra assistants.
3. A panel of top players to choose the type of ball.
4. Select only experienced international referees.

Ban those atrocious Vuvezolas.

Dennis Stevens
5 Posted 11/07/2010 at 01:37:20

Better still, get rid of International football altogether. Rather than changing the domestic football arrangements to suit the requirements of International football, I'd prefer to be free of the disruption to the domestic programme caused by international football. I've never been too enamoured of the idea of our players going off to play for other teams & then often coming back injured, or unsettled / tapped up!

However, if that's not possible, then at least consolidate the qualifying campaigns into about a 1 month period at the end of every other season, to mirror the Euro/World Cup Finals every other year ? and get rid of all these unnecessary friendlies.

Eric Myles
6 Posted 11/07/2010 at 02:39:40

Didn't England win the World Cup when there were 22 teams in the league?
And there were no subs so the players couldn't get a rest sitting on a bench if they were a bit tired, if they were'nt in the first 11 they were playing in the reserves 11 all season.

Matt Traynor
7 Posted 11/07/2010 at 04:18:16

It'll never happen Richard. There's too much money in the game at the FA, UEFA and FIFA. There are too many examples, but here's some:

- The FA's hiar-brained scheme to play a "39th edition overseas".

- The constant meddling of European competition. The expansion of the now ludicrously titled Champions League, and the money. The removal of the Cup Winners' Cup. The creation of the Europa League.

- The World Cup being held in Mexico twice in five tournaments at the behest of sponsors (thank you Coca Cola) and despite Mexico having had a devastating earthquake 12 months before

- Commercial team at FIFA allegedly leaking info to drive up prices (so VISA replace MasterCard) - allegedly the same thing happens with the Olympics.

I mean, when Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan (!) bans the Nigerian team from international competition for 2 years, FIFA immediately steps in and demands a retraction as they don't want governments interfering with football due to the risk of corruption.

And they would know best wouldn't they?

Chris Matheson
8 Posted 11/07/2010 at 07:15:10

The best reorganisation would be to disband the Champions League, a self perpetuating oligarchy that sucks the wealth and talent out of football generally and concentrates that wealth in the hands of the few. It and the Europa League should be replaced with a cup knockout and in doing so the sport would take a huge step to being more equal and fair, and the top clubs would play far fewer games, hence less burnout at international level.

Richard Charles-Jones
9 Posted 11/07/2010 at 10:11:27

Sorry Brendan, just realised my error, meant to say EUROS & ACON etc stays following the World Cup 'by' two years not 'every' 2 years!

I was trying to be an advocate for less (and streamlined) is more.

Andy Crooks
10 Posted 11/07/2010 at 10:27:46

Good point, Chris. I never watch Champions League games. To me, it is the most boring format in football and a monument to all that is wrong with football.

Andy Crooks
11 Posted 11/07/2010 at 10:27:46

Good point, Chris. I never watch champions league games.To me it is the most boring format in football and a monument to all that is wrong with football. I

Andy Crooks
12 Posted 11/07/2010 at 10:29:34

I meant to add, that I'll certainly reconsider should Everton qualify.

Spragg Johnson
13 Posted 11/07/2010 at 10:47:37

As a New Zealander I'd hate to see the Confederations Cup go ... it gives us a chance to play quality opposition (as England are never there)... which paid off in the World Cup ... if Spain win the Cup us Kiwis will be the only unbeaten side there ... ka mate ka mate ... and we absolutely mauled the Springboks last night ... ka pai!

COYB ... Kiwi toffees unite (but not by doing a haka in a pink pinstripe shirt ... jeeeesus!)

David S Shaw
14 Posted 11/07/2010 at 12:00:47

I agree to some but don't forget football is a world game.

The African Nations Cup is very important to the Africans, why should we mess about with that just so that all the knobhead Champions League clubs have their players slightly fitter?

Fitness is part of football. What next cutting down the marathon due to the runners getting tired towards the end?

Some of the best matches are when the game becomes stretched due to tiredness.

David Hallwood
15 Posted 11/07/2010 at 12:38:00

A Blue Peter badge and a big gold star for Chris Matheson#8, without a doubt THE worst thing that's happened to European football-until they dreamt up the Europa league. a) Unlike the old European Cup, it not contested by champions, there are far too many games played and lots of them meaningless. b) There was nothing wrong with the old 3 trophy system-if it ain't broke etc etc c) it's subverted our way of thinking into believing that coming 4th is an achievement!-if I wanted to get excited about balance sheets, I?d read the Financial Times.

Obviously the architects of the competition just wanted a European Super league as a cash cow because it?s nothing to do with football, the reality is that unless you are incredibly stupid (ie FIFA EUFA) a ESL would probably kill the game rather than develop it.

Mike Elbey
16 Posted 11/07/2010 at 12:51:07

I agree with Dennis. Why would you want to lose 4 Everton games a season to accomodate those tossers that play for England?

International football is shit and I loathe the two-week sabbaticals we have to take when England play.

And a winter break? 2 weeks off in January ? what difference will that make other than to make January more miserable than it is already?

The Champions League / Europa Cup is the reason for this term burn-out, whatever that is, but that won't be changed because it is based on sheer greed and eliteism.

Jon Ferguson
17 Posted 11/07/2010 at 17:27:58

If we were to have a winter break, that would mean no Boxing Day and New Year's Day games, which I personally love, so a big NO to winter breaks from me.

If you want to cut some games out of the season I would suggest scrapping useless international friendlies. I'm not fussed about international burnout and would have loved to see Everton play more this season and am gutted we're not in the Europa League.

I do agree that it would be better in theory if all the different international regions played their tournaments at the same time but this won't work in practice due to the money factor (as mentioned previously) and also climate factors (i.e. being to hot in Africa to play at certain times of year).

Ray Roche
18 Posted 11/07/2010 at 18:17:30

All national sides, England, Spain, Nigeria, Ghana etc, who take players away from their clubs during the season, pay the players wages for that period, and for the length of time a player needs to regain fitness should he return injured. That should stop any useless, meaningless friendlies and also make the Afcon organisers think that once every four years might be enough.

Ian McDowell
19 Posted 11/07/2010 at 21:46:53

I love the Xmas football period, but maybe we could have the winter break say 4 January for 2 weeks.

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