By Andrew Warshaw
March 28 – UEFA president Michel Platini has acknowledged that the Euro 2016 qualifying competition could see less competitive matches since almost half the teams involved will progress to the first ever expended 24-team finals in France.
European nations have resisted any change to the current format which will continue as six-team groups. As a result, said Platini, with three teams per group possibly advancing, it could make for a below-par qualifying tournament – but not the finals themselves.
“This decision was made by the executive committee and Congress in 2006 following a request from Ireland and Scotland,” he told a news conference following today’s UEFA executive committee meeting in Sofia. “I thought about it a great deal to see if the quantity would impose itself on the quality but I think we have 24 very good teams in Europe, more or less of the same calibre, so the quality won’t be affected.
“The only small challenge will be with the qualifiers, because there will be some less interesting matches at that level since the national associations wanted the same system. We will have two or three teams qualifying from groups of six, so matches will be less decisive, but the (final) tournament itself will be just as interesting.”
Platini was also put on the spot about the idea of a cross-border Russian-Ukrainian league, proposed by the two countries and dubbed the ‘Unified Football Championship’ with a possible 2014-2015 start. “It’s a difficult issue,” said Platini who appreciated the need of clubs to boost revenues by selling tv rights – but not necessarily in this way.
“Some clubs are in deep financial difficulty and have trouble surviving,” he said. “(But) In the case of Russia it’s not a matter of financial survival because Russia is very strong. So I have trouble understanding this. This is not an issue of life or death so I am not very much in favour.”
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