By Andrew Warshaw
October 12 – It’s shaping up as the Euro 2016 of the minnows. When Michel Platini decided to expand the European Championship finals from 16 to 24 teams, reaction was mixed with many predicting the quality of competition would be reduced.
Tell that to the likes of Wales, Northern Ireland, Iceland and, remarkably, Albania.
The UEFA president may be under provisional suspension pending the outcome of an investigation by FIFA’s ethics committee but the Frenchman can certainly take some credit for what has been a ground-breaking break with the past under his watch as far the Euros are concerned.
The Albanians qualified for their first ever major tournament at the weekend with a 3-0 away win over Armenia to finish their group ahead of Denmark. Across the country and in Kosovo, the mainly ethnic Albania state where some of the players were born, fireworks lit up the sky and people streamed on to the streets in celebration.
“This qualification is historic,” Albania’s FA president Armando Duka said. “We do not have a team of superstars, but they have heart and a collective spirit.”
Albania had a roller-coaster qualifying campaign, which included two politically fraught encounters with Serbia.
“When I first started playing for Albania 12 years ago, I never thought this day would come but we always tried and now have managed to do it thanks to the willpower of this group, this fine generation of players,” said captain Lorik Cana.
Albania will now join the likes of Iceland – also in their first ever major finals – Wales and Northern Ireland in France next summer. The Welsh, courtesy in part of their talisman Gareth Bale, have ended a 57-year wait to qualify for a major tournament while Northern Ireland had failed to qualify for every tournament since the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.
Many thought the qualifiers would be a procession for the top nations but that argument has been turned on its head with the smaller nations qualifying by right and not even having to worry about the playoffs.
The fall-guys among Europe’s big-hitters are the Dutch who are facing the likely prospect of missing even a playoff spot, having lost twice to Iceland who reached the finals with three matches to spare.
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