FIFA World Cup play-offs will kill world football: Irish coach Giovanni

08 October,2009 07:16 AM IST |   |  Goal.com

Ireland coach Giovanni Trapattoni has blasted FIFA's decision to seed the World Cup play-offs, describing it as killing football, while goalkeeper Shay Given has called the move disgusting.


Ireland coach Giovanni Trapattoni has blasted FIFA's decision to seed the World Cup play-offs, describing it as "killing football", while goalkeeper Shay Given has called the move "disgusting".

On Saturday night Italy will face the Republic of Ireland in Dublin for a decisive World Cup qualifying match.

The Azzurri could seal qualification with a draw, while for Ireland the most likely outcome is a second-place finish in the group.

This would force them to enter the play-offs, which could turn out to be dangerous for Trapattoni's team, as FIFA president Joseph Blatter has recently announced that the play-offs will be seeded according to the various teams' current FIFA rankings.

"This solution is a bit like killing football. A few years ago the big European clubs thought about creating a 'SuperLeague', but they abandoned the idea because they saw the risks of this. This is a similar solution.

"Every national team has the same rights, and making a seeded draw goes against this principle. But of course, the business of the big teams controls everything."

Given said, "It's incredible that FIFA has taken a decision like this precisely when the bigger teams are struggling to qualify. It's actually disgusting."

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
FIFA World Cup Ireland coach Giovanni Trapattoni