Blanc furious as France draws Spain
Source: Agencies |
August 1, 2011, Monday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
COACH Laurent Blanc criticized France's exclusion from the top European seeds for yesterday's 2014 World Cup qualifying draw after it landed in the same group as champion Spain.
France, World Cup winners in 1998 and runners-up in 2006, was among the nine teams in the second tier and will also face Belarus, Georgia and Finland after being drawn in Group I.
"I don't know why France are in the second group, why Greece, Norway and Croatia are ranked higher," Blanc told reporters.
"We had to face one of the top (seeded) teams, and we got the biggest," he added. "We should have been in the first group - and now we have drawn the best team of the last World Cup, but then, you have no choice."
FIFA based its seeding on the world rankings and France's 10th place among the European teams put it in the second tier.
With only the group winners assured of an automatic place in the finals, one of Spain or France will most likely have to qualify through a two-leg European playoffs to reach Brazil.
"The qualifiers are always dangerous... Belarus took four points," Blanc said of the eastern European team which is also in France's qualifying group for Euro 2012 and upset them 1-0 in Paris in September before a 1-1 draw in Minsk last month.
However, Blanc tried to focus on the positive side of being in the only one of the nine European groups to have five rather than six teams.
"If you only focus on Spain, you'd say 'it's impossible, it's a very difficult group' but the first team qualifies and so do the best second-placed teams."
He also relished the prospect of facing old rivals Spain. "It will be a beautiful match because ... to face the best is always enriching."
Spain was the last name drawn in the European qualifying zone and the last of the 166 countries to be allocated a place in the 107-minute globally televised event in a windswept auditorium at Rio's glamorous Marina da Gloria.
High winds buffeted the temporary building before the draw started, causing slight damage to the roof, but inside stars of showbiz and soccer were unaffected with Pele given a huge welcome when he was introduced to the audience.
Highlight
The European draw, was, as always, the highlight of the proceedings and produced some tantalizing battles when the qualifiers start in the autumn of 2012 after the European championship in Poland and Ukraine.
Incidentally, those two co-hosts were drawn in the same group along with top seeded England, which has faced Poland in seven previous World Cups.
There will be plenty at stake too when seeded Croatia and Serbia, once part of the old Yugoslavia, meet each other in Group A which includes British rivals Scotland and Wales as well as Belgium and Macedonia.
The Netherlands, runner-up to Spain in a bad-tempered World Cup final last year and on course for the Euros next year having won all six of its qualifiers so far, faces Hungary. Turkey, Romania, Estonia and Andorra complete the group.
Four-time world champions Italy seem to have a fairly comfortable draw with Denmark and the Czech Republic its main opposition.
Triple World champion Germany should have little trouble qualifying from Group C that includes Sweden and Ireland, Austria and the Faroe Islands.
In Asia, Japan will face Uzbekistan, Syria and North Korea in Group C, while Australia will play Saudi Arabia, Oman and Thailand in Group D. Iran, Bahrain and Qatar were drawn in the same Group E, along with Indonesia, while China is in Group A with Iraq, Jordan and Singapore.
France, World Cup winners in 1998 and runners-up in 2006, was among the nine teams in the second tier and will also face Belarus, Georgia and Finland after being drawn in Group I.
"I don't know why France are in the second group, why Greece, Norway and Croatia are ranked higher," Blanc told reporters.
"We had to face one of the top (seeded) teams, and we got the biggest," he added. "We should have been in the first group - and now we have drawn the best team of the last World Cup, but then, you have no choice."
FIFA based its seeding on the world rankings and France's 10th place among the European teams put it in the second tier.
With only the group winners assured of an automatic place in the finals, one of Spain or France will most likely have to qualify through a two-leg European playoffs to reach Brazil.
"The qualifiers are always dangerous... Belarus took four points," Blanc said of the eastern European team which is also in France's qualifying group for Euro 2012 and upset them 1-0 in Paris in September before a 1-1 draw in Minsk last month.
However, Blanc tried to focus on the positive side of being in the only one of the nine European groups to have five rather than six teams.
"If you only focus on Spain, you'd say 'it's impossible, it's a very difficult group' but the first team qualifies and so do the best second-placed teams."
He also relished the prospect of facing old rivals Spain. "It will be a beautiful match because ... to face the best is always enriching."
Spain was the last name drawn in the European qualifying zone and the last of the 166 countries to be allocated a place in the 107-minute globally televised event in a windswept auditorium at Rio's glamorous Marina da Gloria.
High winds buffeted the temporary building before the draw started, causing slight damage to the roof, but inside stars of showbiz and soccer were unaffected with Pele given a huge welcome when he was introduced to the audience.
Highlight
The European draw, was, as always, the highlight of the proceedings and produced some tantalizing battles when the qualifiers start in the autumn of 2012 after the European championship in Poland and Ukraine.
Incidentally, those two co-hosts were drawn in the same group along with top seeded England, which has faced Poland in seven previous World Cups.
There will be plenty at stake too when seeded Croatia and Serbia, once part of the old Yugoslavia, meet each other in Group A which includes British rivals Scotland and Wales as well as Belgium and Macedonia.
The Netherlands, runner-up to Spain in a bad-tempered World Cup final last year and on course for the Euros next year having won all six of its qualifiers so far, faces Hungary. Turkey, Romania, Estonia and Andorra complete the group.
Four-time world champions Italy seem to have a fairly comfortable draw with Denmark and the Czech Republic its main opposition.
Triple World champion Germany should have little trouble qualifying from Group C that includes Sweden and Ireland, Austria and the Faroe Islands.
In Asia, Japan will face Uzbekistan, Syria and North Korea in Group C, while Australia will play Saudi Arabia, Oman and Thailand in Group D. Iran, Bahrain and Qatar were drawn in the same Group E, along with Indonesia, while China is in Group A with Iraq, Jordan and Singapore.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
