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	<title>Comments on: UEFA running big risk with Euro expansion</title>
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	<link>http://blogs.reuters.com/soccer/2008/09/26/uefa-running-big-risk-with-euro-expansion/</link>
	<description>World Soccer views and news</description>
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		<title>By: Scotland Fan</title>
		<link>http://blogs.reuters.com/soccer/2008/09/26/uefa-running-big-risk-with-euro-expansion/comment-page-1/#comment-341101</link>
		<dc:creator>Scotland Fan</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 30 Sep 2008 21:40:46 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.reuters.com/soccer/2008/09/26/uefa-running-big-risk-with-euro-expansion/#comment-341101</guid>
		<description>Although I support a team that will probably benefit from this move, I agree that it dilutes what is, at the moment, a very enjoyable tournament. It all comes down to money, though, and bigger is better in that regard.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Although I support a team that will probably benefit from this move, I agree that it dilutes what is, at the moment, a very enjoyable tournament. It all comes down to money, though, and bigger is better in that regard.</p>
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		<title>By: Croco Dog</title>
		<link>http://blogs.reuters.com/soccer/2008/09/26/uefa-running-big-risk-with-euro-expansion/comment-page-1/#comment-341088</link>
		<dc:creator>Croco Dog</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 30 Sep 2008 02:35:01 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.reuters.com/soccer/2008/09/26/uefa-running-big-risk-with-euro-expansion/#comment-341088</guid>
		<description>UEFA wants to make more money. But the players will have a longer football season. Not enough of rest before a new club season starts. Look at the Spainish heroes, they are jadded at the beginning of this new season.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>UEFA wants to make more money. But the players will have a longer football season. Not enough of rest before a new club season starts. Look at the Spainish heroes, they are jadded at the beginning of this new season.</p>
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		<title>By: Bloginoffskiov</title>
		<link>http://blogs.reuters.com/soccer/2008/09/26/uefa-running-big-risk-with-euro-expansion/comment-page-1/#comment-341065</link>
		<dc:creator>Bloginoffskiov</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 29 Sep 2008 08:09:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.reuters.com/soccer/2008/09/26/uefa-running-big-risk-with-euro-expansion/#comment-341065</guid>
		<description>Why don&#039;t UEFA just go the full-hog and have an European Championship with every single European team in it!
That way, no team will ever &#039;miss out&#039; on the competition.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Why don&#8217;t UEFA just go the full-hog and have an European Championship with every single European team in it!<br />
That way, no team will ever &#8216;miss out&#8217; on the competition.</p>
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		<title>By: Bored with Football</title>
		<link>http://blogs.reuters.com/soccer/2008/09/26/uefa-running-big-risk-with-euro-expansion/comment-page-1/#comment-341060</link>
		<dc:creator>Bored with Football</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 28 Sep 2008 12:30:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.reuters.com/soccer/2008/09/26/uefa-running-big-risk-with-euro-expansion/#comment-341060</guid>
		<description>Euro 2008 was great for &quot;connoisseurs&quot;, but England were not there.  And that will have whacked down the TV revenues, significantly.  Switching to 24 countries reduces the risk of the rich nations - the profitable nations - not making the cut.  And why would it be &quot;good&quot; if England, France, Spain, Germany, Italy or Holland had a nightmare in qualifying and were replaced by, er, Croatia?  The purists want Bulgaria?  Meh.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Euro 2008 was great for &#8220;connoisseurs&#8221;, but England were not there.  And that will have whacked down the TV revenues, significantly.  Switching to 24 countries reduces the risk of the rich nations &#8211; the profitable nations &#8211; not making the cut.  And why would it be &#8220;good&#8221; if England, France, Spain, Germany, Italy or Holland had a nightmare in qualifying and were replaced by, er, Croatia?  The purists want Bulgaria?  Meh.</p>
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		<title>By: Feverpitch</title>
		<link>http://blogs.reuters.com/soccer/2008/09/26/uefa-running-big-risk-with-euro-expansion/comment-page-1/#comment-341038</link>
		<dc:creator>Feverpitch</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 26 Sep 2008 16:40:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.reuters.com/soccer/2008/09/26/uefa-running-big-risk-with-euro-expansion/#comment-341038</guid>
		<description>Agreed - it seems to be a ploy from Uefa to increase the revenue from such a tournament. It causes problems with both the group stages - with potential for cheating and match-fixing - and finding eight extra nations of satisfactory quality. Euro 2008 was the best tounrament in recent memory - why change format?

http://www.footballingworld.com/2008/09/26/euros-expansion-threatens-to-lower-quality-threshold-0105/</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Agreed &#8211; it seems to be a ploy from Uefa to increase the revenue from such a tournament. It causes problems with both the group stages &#8211; with potential for cheating and match-fixing &#8211; and finding eight extra nations of satisfactory quality. Euro 2008 was the best tounrament in recent memory &#8211; why change format?</p>
<p><a href='http://www.footballingworld.com/2008/09/26/euros-expansion-threatens-to-lower-quality-threshold-0105/'>http://www.footballingworld.com/2008/09/ 26/euros-expansion-threatens-to-lower-qu ality-threshold-0105/</a></p>
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		<title>By: Red Devil</title>
		<link>http://blogs.reuters.com/soccer/2008/09/26/uefa-running-big-risk-with-euro-expansion/comment-page-1/#comment-341034</link>
		<dc:creator>Red Devil</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 26 Sep 2008 15:42:34 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.reuters.com/soccer/2008/09/26/uefa-running-big-risk-with-euro-expansion/#comment-341034</guid>
		<description>The obvious downside is that in the probale format of six groups with four teams each, four third-placed teams will advance to the last 16. That system produced an absolutely dreadful World Cup finals in Italy 1990 and it quite simply devalues a top-place finish in the group stage.
The upside is that teams that keep missing out narrowly on the finals now have a great chance of getting there and proving they deserve UEFA&#039;s generousity.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The obvious downside is that in the probale format of six groups with four teams each, four third-placed teams will advance to the last 16. That system produced an absolutely dreadful World Cup finals in Italy 1990 and it quite simply devalues a top-place finish in the group stage.<br />
The upside is that teams that keep missing out narrowly on the finals now have a great chance of getting there and proving they deserve UEFA&#8217;s generousity.</p>
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		<title>By: Mike</title>
		<link>http://blogs.reuters.com/soccer/2008/09/26/uefa-running-big-risk-with-euro-expansion/comment-page-1/#comment-341030</link>
		<dc:creator>Mike</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:18:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.reuters.com/soccer/2008/09/26/uefa-running-big-risk-with-euro-expansion/#comment-341030</guid>
		<description>I agree the Euro is competitively, probably, a better tournament than the World Cup. This is a step to water it down tremendously. It&#039;s financially driven, and incredibly short-sighted.

http://startingeleven.blogspot.com/2008/09/jack-chloe-and-24-teams-in-euro.html</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I agree the Euro is competitively, probably, a better tournament than the World Cup. This is a step to water it down tremendously. It&#8217;s financially driven, and incredibly short-sighted.</p>
<p><a href='http://startingeleven.blogspot.com/2008/09/jack-chloe-and-24-teams-in-euro.html'>http://startingeleven.blogspot.com/2008/ 09/jack-chloe-and-24-teams-in-euro.html</a></p>
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		<title>By: Lauder</title>
		<link>http://blogs.reuters.com/soccer/2008/09/26/uefa-running-big-risk-with-euro-expansion/comment-page-1/#comment-341026</link>
		<dc:creator>Lauder</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:03:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.reuters.com/soccer/2008/09/26/uefa-running-big-risk-with-euro-expansion/#comment-341026</guid>
		<description>If it ain&#039;t broke, break it.</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>If it ain&#8217;t broke, break it.</p>
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		<title>By: Hans Moman</title>
		<link>http://blogs.reuters.com/soccer/2008/09/26/uefa-running-big-risk-with-euro-expansion/comment-page-1/#comment-341025</link>
		<dc:creator>Hans Moman</dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:53:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://blogs.reuters.com/soccer/2008/09/26/uefa-running-big-risk-with-euro-expansion/#comment-341025</guid>
		<description>If they have to increase it, increase it by an amount that will keep qualifying from the group stages simple and logical (i.e. top 2 go to the knockout stages).</description>
		<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>If they have to increase it, increase it by an amount that will keep qualifying from the group stages simple and logical (i.e. top 2 go to the knockout stages).</p>
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