July 14, 2002

UEFA surprise

Colin Aldis

There was surprising news for some of the national teams following the UEFA executive committee meeting last week,

While England, Iceland, Denmark and France still must prepare for their WWC 2003 qualifying matches, the promotion/

relegation matches have been scrapped. The result means that all four teams, who won Groups 5-8, will be automatically placed in the top category of UEFA which has been increased to 20 teams. The promoted teams are:

Scotland,Poland, Hungary and Yugoslavia.

When qualifying starts next year for UEFA Finals 2005, there will be four groups of five teams. Raising the possibility of another England versus Scotland clash, a history that dates back to 1972.

The decision suggests that it will allow new teams to enter the lower strength category, which initially would have just 14 teams. With the increased number of teams showing interest in the latest U-19 and Champions Cup tournaments, there must be the potential for four groups of five teams at this level.

The other surprise was that the Champions Cup Final of 2003 will be played over two legs, ie. home and away, instead of the one off match of 2002. This was a set-back for the Swedish FA, who were prepared to host the match at their stadium in Stockholm.