General Discussion

[Fitzy]

Why the fuck are they expanding the amount of teams for the next tournament? What fucking use will teams worse than Ireland offer?

 

[monster09]

Why the fuck are they expanding the amount of teams for the next tournament? What fucking use will teams worse than Ireland offer?

This is one of the best answers I read in Irish forum.

It brings it into line with what the other confederations do.

e.g., Venezuela, Togo, Canada and UAE will rarely qualify for a World Cup with the amount of places available (5 or 6), perhaps once in 50 years they can expect to qualify.

But their 'local' confederation tournament is either a 12 or 16 team affair, so another 8 teams can qualify and the teams I listed now have a realistic chance of qualifying for tournaments (or guaranteed in Venezuelas case).

UEFA, at this moment has a tournament with either 14 or 15 qualification places, basically identical to the World Cup (13 places for UEFA).

So increasing it to 24 teams means that teams like Cyprus, Faroes, Finland, Wales, Lithuania, Armenia etc now have a realistic chance of qualifying for a tournament if they make some investment in playing resources, which is surely a case of UEFA correctly looking after its members.

No-one can argue that there won't be a reduction in quality, but I think its clearly a fundamanetally good thing for football in Europe in the lesser tiers. It gives another 20 teams a realistic chance.

Tbh, I agree with the quoted part, it improves overall quality in lesser tires, there will be few weaker teams just like in WC but it makes a hell lot of good for smaller nations.

 

[Dylan]

Shouldn't UEFA be able to help grassroots or whatever in another way that weakening a very good tournament?

 

[monster09]

Shouldn't UEFA be able to help grassroots or whatever in another way that weakening a very good tournament?

It will weaken the good tournament for sure but I think UEFA sees benefits in this, for ex quality of other countries will gradually improve. Sure UEFA can help but I dont think that is feasible. Smaller countries never stood a chance for any major competition, so where is the motivation to improve? It is near impossible to catch many Nations to qualify and not to forget there are teams like Belgium, Turkey who failed to qualify, so smaller countries never stand any chance.

I maybe wrong but playing in Euros will only draw attention of whole country towards this sport?

 

[Cal]

Scotland in Euro 2016

You heard it here first.

 

[monster09]

Scotland in Euro 2016

You heard it here first.

Darren Fletcher to return from injury and lead the team in Euro 2016

 

[Cal]

One of the most under rated players around.

 

[crzdcolombian]

Yea I thought the quality of this tounie wasn't very good. The top 4 teams are from the same 2 groups. It's basically been Germany spanking everyone like it was 1942

 

[Pajo]

 

[Tanel]

I did article on the fitness issues for these final few games.

There's been lot of complaints about resting time by Spain and Italy which are utter nonsense.

I will not translate in full since I guess there's not that much demand, but here are the main points.

- Statistically it is proven that the 3 days rest (by that I mean 3 evenings without a game) between ensures that the players regain their full fitness. Therefore, Spain and Italy should have no problems. Even if Italy played 120 minutes, it is likely that the extra 30 have little effect, because the game was not very high intensity.

- However, the winner of Italy-Germany semi-final might be in for a bad time in the final. They only get two days of rest (semi on Thursday, final on Sunday) and that is not enough to recover 100%. Statistically proven than teams who have had only 2 days rest tend to conceede ~0,5 more goals per match and score ~0,5 goals per match less than under normal circumstances, if they play against a team that has had the necessary 3 days of rest. THIS IS VERY WEIRD by UEFA becuase every other time teams have at least 3 days of rest between games, not sure how they can jeopardize the most important game of the tournament like this.

- While it seems that Germany has done a lot of rotation during this tournament, it is actually false claim to make. They've only changed their forward trio and if it weren't for Boateng's suspension, they'd have 8 players who have played almost every minute of the tournament, including Özil who was only subbed off for around 12 minutes at the end of one match.

- Spain and Portugal have been the teams least likely to offer rest to key players. 9 players have had less than 30 minutes of rest during this tournament in both teams.

- It is Italy actually who has done the most rotation, although partly aided by injuries. Italy has played total of 390 minutes (not counting in added time etc), but only Buffon, Pirlo and Marchisio have played full minutes. Of other players, only Bonucci and De Rossi have exceeded the 330 minute mark (which equals to less than 30 minute rest for other teams). And also have to take into account that none of these players had a particularly demanding club season behind them.

Edit: Fixed mistake with Spain.

 

[Coasterfreek]

There goes that streak Italy had of not losing a 90 minute game in a knockout stage....

 

[Nerazzurro]

Scotland in Euro 2016

You heard it here first.

Aye. Right.

 

[figer]

FootballFunnys:
Graphic showing where all the Euro 2012 goals have been scored

 

[Devious]

England are the farthest and closest. Truely it`s the empire on which the sun never sets.

 

[AxigZag.ESIOLAG.]

UEFA now manipulating video feeds to add emotion? I dont get the point... Seems to me they are just making the case against video refs or what ever they call that crap used by lazy american sports ... and to a much smaller extent a case against goal line as well...

http://deadspin.com/5923264/sorry-m...n-fan-cry-how-tv-lied-to-you-during-euro-2012

Sorry, Mario Balotelli Didn’t Really Make This German Fan Cry: How TV Lied To You During Euro 2012

Barry Petchesky

In the 36th minute of the Euro 2012 semifinal, Mario Balotelli scored his second goal, a screamer to the top right corner. Balotelli ripped off his jersey and flexed, and the telecast cut to a woman in the stands, a German flag painted on her cheek, a single tear leaking from her eye.

"It's too early for tears," intoned ESPN's Adrian Healey, calling the action. And it was.The German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung talked to the tearful woman: Her name was Andrea, she came from Dusseldorf, and she was surprised when she started getting texts from friends asking why she'd started crying with nearly an hour of play remaining. She hadn't, Andrea told them.
Instead, she said, she had been overcome with emotion during the playing of the national anthems, before the match kicked off. A camera recorded her then, and the footage was inserted into live TV later on, at the moment it would have the most impact. The emotional power of sport, on cue.
Don't blame Healey or ESPN. They didn't know, nor did ARD, the German network airing the match, nor did ZDF or SVT, or any of the other hundreds of channels that had won the regional broadcasting rights around the world. They merely aired the streaming live signal from UEFA—which on multiple occasions goosed the live footage by adding prerecorded shots, with zero acknowledgement.

On June 13, during of Germany's group stage match against the Netherlands, cameras found German manager Joachim Löw sneaking up behind a ballboy and poking the ball from his grip. A humanizing moment in the middle of a tense game. Except it happened during warm-ups, well before the match, and was dropped in to make it appear live.


Two networks, claiming they were caught off guard by UEFA's practices, have spoken out against it.

"Of course any form of censorship or manipulation is not acceptable for us." said ARD's Euro 2012 chief editor Joerg Schoenenborn." That's why we clearly told UEFA that the German public expects coverage to be live when it says it's live. Live is live and has to stay live.''
​

"We have complained to UEFA that the impression was aroused that these were live pictures,'' ZDF editor-in-chief Peter Frey said. "That does not correspond to our journalistic standards.''
​

I would be shocked if they were as shocked as they sound. TV's been fudging the distinction between documentary and stagecraft for a long time. Your favorite news and sports shows always make sure to tape footage of their reporter nodding thoughtfully, and insert it under an interview subject's voice. This makes it look like correspondent are listening closely, when they might be doodling or picking their noses. It's subtle, and it's unnoticeable, and the Hollywood editing of seemingly unbroken scenes is surprisingly common.If you can't trust Killer Shark Live to actually be live, what can you trust?
Surely not the Olympics. We're less than three weeks away from the most expensive and slickest Games ever broadcast, and in the wake of the BBC's CGI blockbuster promos, count on NBC making every effort to give you the most cinematic experience possible. While you're still figuring out whether a given event is live or tape-delayed, they'll be blurring the line even further.

UEFA under fire for 'manipulated' Euro 2012 images [AP]

 

[AxigZag.ESIOLAG.]

Nasri suspended for 3 games... FFF disciplinary comitee ruling.
Menez: 1 game
Ben Arfa & M'Villa: warning.
http://www.eurosport.fr/football/nasri-prend-trois-matches_sto3363334/story.shtml

Samir Nasri a été suspendu trois matches par la commission de discipline de la FFF pour son comportement lors de l'Euro 2012. Jérémy Ménez écope d'un match. Hatem Ben Arfa etYann M'Vila ont de leur côté été "rappelés à l'ordre

A
Un mois après l'élimination des Bleus à l'Euro, les sanctions sont tombées. Samir Nasri a été suspendu trois matches ferme en équipe de France par la Fédération française, et Jérémy Ménez un match. Hatem Ben Arfa et Yann M'Vila ont de leur côté été "rappelés à l'ordre", a annoncé la FFF. La commission de discipline précise dans le communiqué qu'elle "transmet au comité exécutif (organe décisionnaire de la FFF), pour ces quatre joueurs, pour mise en application de l'annexe 5 de la convention 'joueur équipe de France' et retenue éventuelle des primes en partie ou en totalité".Samir Nasri, entendu durant une bonne demi-heure vendredi matin pour ses insultes à la presse, manquera donc le match amical contre l'Uruguay, le 15 août prochain au Havre, ainsi que les deux premiers matches des qualifications pour la Coupe du monde 2014, le 7 septembre face à la Finlande puis le 11 face à la Biélorussie. De son côté, Ménez est sanctionné pour avoir rembarré son capitaine Hugo Lloris et insulté l'arbitre d'Espagne-France (2-0). La "3F" a été plus clémente avec Hatem Ben Arfa, convoqué en raison de sa brève altercation avec Laurent Blanc dans le vestiaire de France-Suède (0-2). Le fait que l'ancien sélectionneur, invité à témoigner mais absent vendredi, confibe l'incident à la vie de vestiaire a sans doute joué. Quant à Yann M'Vila, il était auditionné pour avoir regagné le banc lors du même match sans serrer la main de son entraîneur ni de son remplaçant, Olivier Giroud."Ils ne se sont pas excusés, ils ont regretté"Nasri, Mvila et Ben Arfa étaient venus se défendre en personne devant l'instance disciplinaire de la FFF vendredi matin. Seul Ménez, actuellement en tournée aux Etats-Unis avec le PSG, s'est fait représenter par son avocat. Ce dernier, Me Carlo Alberto Brusa, avait répété le mea culpa du Parisien. "Jérémy Ménez regrette profondément ce qui s'est passé, il veut oublier ces moments difficiles, c'est une erreur de jeunesse", avait-il expliqué à la presse à son arrivée à la FFF. L'avocat avait ensuite émis des regrets partagés par les quatre internationaux : "Les bonnes résolutions sont collectives et la volonté que ces faits ne se répètent plus, ce n'est pas seulement le fait de Jérémy mais de toutes les personnes malheureusement appelées en audition devant cette commission".Hormis une altercation rocambolesque survenue devant le siège de la FFF entre le père de Ben Arfa et son agent, les auditions des joueurs devant l'instance disciplinaire à l'intérieur de la "3F" ont été très "sereines" selon Jean Mazzella, président de la commission de discipline. Mais celui-ci a tenu à nuancer : "ils ne se sont pas excusés, ils ont regretté". D'ailleurs, des voix se sont déjà élevées pour dénoncer une trop grande clémence des sanctions. "Ca me paraît très généreux", a critiqué François Ponthieu, seul candidat déclaré à la présidence de la FFF en décembre. "Il doit y avoir une vraie rupture sur ces sujets. Je critique le barème et pas la façon dont il a été appliqué. En NBA par exemple, il y a de très fortes amendes et beaucoup plus de matches de suspension".
Eurosport - A.P. (avec AFP)

 

[Handoyo]

UEFA now manipulating video feeds to add emotion? I dont get the point... Seems to me they are just making the case against video refs or what ever they call that crap used by lazy american sports ... and to a much smaller extent a case against goal line as well...

http://deadspin.com/5923264/sorry-m...n-fan-cry-how-tv-lied-to-you-during-euro-2012

Slight bump but this is quite bullshit. I hope they don't practice the same crap in the regular European season.