The Italian Soccer team stinks

Re: The Italian Soccer team stinks

Reply #15 – November 16, 2017, 04:38:25 pm

Quote from: LP – on November 16, 2017, 01:04:20 pm

Not specific to Italy, but there is always that uncomfortable feel about the World Cup.

Too many opportunities exist for countries to deliberately throw a game which eliminates a more favored opponent. Completely unexpectedly a minnow defeats a giant and the giants main opponent gets the chop!

Really?
I don't think anyone can afford to drop any games in qualifying, because it can often just take 1 or 2 games and the seed falls to a playoff. Remember in Europe, it is only the top team in a division that gets an auto spot, the 2nd placed teams go into knockouts.

There is a lot of corruption in FIFA, particularly around bidding/playoffs etc, but I don't know about the whole throwing games. I really cannot think of an instance. where a giant has dropped a game so unexpectedly and it has seen a team drop in the way you suggest.

In fact recently in the South American playoffs, Argentina was a HUGE chance of being eliminated going into the last round, especially when they went down a goal in the 1st minute. Brazil was playing Chile at the same time and you would think they would much prefer Chile at the World Cup than Argentina (and Brazil was the only qualified team going into the last round from that group, though Uruguay was basically qualified also), yet they beat Chile and knocked them out of the World Cup.

To get a team sitting 1st (I can't see any other way a team not 1st could throw a game without seriously risking elimination) being beaten by a minnow as you call it... It happens so amazingly rarely that I think in those cases it almost certainly has to be a genuine upset that happens in sport.

Lot's of corruption in FIFA, lots of diving on the pitch, but I don't think there are many cases you could find of national teams throwing games in qualification against lower opposition