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Soundoff: Should FIFA Abandon World Cup Playoffs? Posted: 01 Dec 2009 06:10 PM PST There’s been a lot of crazy talk about World Cup qualification this week. Including Ireland putting in an impressively optimistic request to go to South Africa as a 33rd team. A request FIFA quite sensibly denied, for all kinds of very obvious reasons. However, one less publicized but arguably more important bit of fallout from the Thierry Henry handball affair involves the future of World Cup qualification and playoffs. Here’s what Sepp Blatter said yesterday: “There are different formats in different continents, but if it comes down to one final playoff match to decide if you are in or out, this should not be the spirit behind the World Cup. “We have had problems in this last round of playoffs, the match in the Stade de France, the additional match that had to be played in Khartoum between Egypt and Algeria. “There were problems in the South America/CONCACAF playoff. It comes down to the final match if you qualify or not. “There is so much pressure on players, coaches, and referees, or presidents. To terminate the qualification for the World Cup on one match only is not right and that’s why we have to think about it.” So sounds like FIFA, or at least Sepp, is seriously considering doing away with playoffs. I can see his point. For a single game (two legged or not) to decide World Cup qualification puts a ridiculous level of pressure and scrutiny on all involved. For example, if the Henry handball had happened in a regular qualification game, then it wouldn’t have been such a news monster, Henry wouldn’t have temporarily public enemy #1 and Ireland wouldn’t have been reduced to making ridiculous requests about expanding the World Cup to 33 teams. On the other hand (no pun intended, mostly) isn’t that what great football is all about? The World Cup playoffs were incredibly good drama. A reminder of why international football is so important and enthralling. With the exception of the Oceania winners, the playoffs are the last chance saloon for teams who didn’t do enough to qualify directly. No playoffs means no last chance, just elimination. The third alternative would appear to be a massive overhaul of World Cup qualification. Not just in terms of which confederations get how many spots, but a total rethink. Maybe an open draw where nations from all confederations are mixed in together? But that’s another post for another day. So what do you say? Should FIFA scrap playoffs or not?

Photo: The Gods Are Smiling On South Africa 2010 Posted: 01 Dec 2009 10:10 AM PST Somewhere, over the rainbow, skies are blue, And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true. There’s a pot of dreams at the end of this one.

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