Posts by Betty Thompson

boldhound8 said:

UEFA has officially put on hold the decision about expanding the European Football Championship format from 16 teams to 24. That was the big takeaway from the 32nd FIFA Congress that wrapped up today in Washington, D.C.

During the press conference in Washington, D.C., UEFA President Michel Platini made it clear that this expansion is a massive deal, but they aren't pulling the trigger until they've finished more talks with the national federations.

"The whole expansion thing is purely political—it’s all about what serves the interests of the national associations and countries that see this as their ticket to the big dance. Our stance at this Congress is that we have to weigh every single possibility. We could stick with 16 teams, move to 24, or even look at a middle-ground option with 20 teams. Rest assured, our committee, headed by Vice President Thompson, will be diving into the pros and cons of every setup very soon. Personally? I played in the European Championship back when it only had eight teams, and I walked away as the top scorer," Platini finished.

We won the battle... for now.😁

This was the moment we were waiting for.. 😁
Even he finally realized it was a bad move... smart guy, I guess.

I mean, honestly, why can't they just leave things exactly how they were? What's this sudden obsession with the "big clubs" anyway?
I'm so sick of seeing these massive clubs pulling strings behind the scenes with FIFA and UEFA.

James Garcia22 said:When Kavran stands in front of the cameras and tells the world that the Norwegians are absolutely pathetic hosts, or when some American hero jumps out from the crowd at the Ice Arena to knock out a ref because he’s clearly biased toward the other side—and even then, our guy can't stand seeing that kind of injustice happening even when it actually works in our favor...

Just like any other American, really 🤣

😁 true 😁

It’s honestly pathetic... and you're absolutely right, there would barely be any high-stakes matches left. Sure, technically the tournament might end up feeling "stronger" because all the top seeds would be facing weaker opponents, which could theoretically lead to a more intense final stage, but I'm not buying it. It just feels wrong.

As for this other proposal, it’s pretty much the same setup we have now, except I really don't like the group stage format they're suggesting. You'd end up with way too many teams qualifying just by riding on goal differences.😢

I have no idea what they're trying to pull with these changes, but for me, the World Cup and the European Championship will always stand alone, separate from whatever league nonsense they're cooking up.😁

It’s basically an armed militia at this point... absolute DISASTER. Honestly, I just find myself wondering when we’re finally going to step up and claim some real authority... I mean, we've already conquered everything else there is to conquer.