12/21/24
October 18, 2004
The World Game: Andorra versus Macedonia in a WC 2006 qualifier. This is what football is all about - a result that will warm the heart of even the most jaded and cynical fan.
Yep, say, Faroe Islands, Andorra, Luxembourg and Wales.
posted by Fat Buddha at 10:57 AM on October 18, 2004
Whatever, that was a great read. Nice to see reports on meaningful games involving teams that are, obviously, in it for the sport. Here's to Andorra in the final in 2006!:)
posted by Drood at 12:19 PM on October 18, 2004
Don't even get me started on the so called "champions league..."
posted by StarFucker at 12:34 PM on October 18, 2004
Dude, the Champions League is what it's all about.* * - a bad attempt at "getting you started."
posted by NoMich at 12:50 PM on October 18, 2004
In that vein, I recommend seeing The Other Final (Flash site) about the Bhutan-Montserrat match held on the day of the 2002 World Cup final. A truly great documentary for football fans. My gut instinct, though, is that while it's great for the minnows of FIFA to play against the big boys in qualifying, it's not that satisfactory when groups are decided sometimes on who scored the most goals against Liechtenstein or the Faroe Islands. Perhaps it'd be better to have a pre-qualifying system that allows, say, the top half-dozen minnows through? (Contrarily, I don't like the pre-quals in UEFA club tournaments which mean that the Champions League, in particular, has become a de facto European superleague. Make the European Cup a knockout tournament again, you money-grabbing bastards: the Champions League has taken all the mystique away from European competition. I'm bored with the pairings these days.)