resk Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 I'm fairly sure loads of countries have been invaded before and not got a free place at the World Cup. McLeish is a melt. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bully Wee Villa Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 Did Scotland get a bye to the 1298 World Cup? 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VictorOnopko Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 (edited) 33 minutes ago, resk said: I'm fairly sure loads of countries have been invaded before and not got a free place at the World Cup. McLeish is a melt. He is often a melt, and I am not saying I agree with him as I don't know what should happen - but to put the positive case, the way things are looking just now Ukraine may well be in ruins and occupied by the time the World Cup rolls around, with very limited help offered by the outside world (including its European neighbours) to protect itself. It may also be unable to field a team this month because all adult males are legally obliged to defend their country from the Russians. There's something to be said for putting them straight into the finals as a way to acknowledge the above and to give Ukraine continued recognition on the world stage. Comparison with other invaded countries is undermined a bit by the fact that they were invaded less than a month before their play-off, and have a high degree of past sporting success (qualified for the past three Euros, and WC QFs in the past - let's draw a veil over the worst match of all time v Switzerland...). It all depends how much you think sport should be used to send a political message, and how much you think Ukraine's current plight means they face an unfair disadvantage to participation in the PO having qualified from their group, due to being invaded and slaughtered en masse by a fellow UEFA nation. Edited March 2, 2022 by VictorOnopko 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DAFC. Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 Really can’t see it being postponed. They’ll either have to muster a squad together with players outside Ukraine or forfeit. Will these players even be emotionally prepared for this sort of thing knowing their Ukranian-based team mates are fighting a war? It’s a terrible situation. Think it’ll be a forfeit in all honesty. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Parr Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 20 hours ago, craigkillie said: When can the Nations League matches be re-arranged for "no big deal"? The World Cup draw is seeded and different teams could be in different pots. We can't just cram in 2 extra games in June - we already have 4 games scheduled for then. 3 hours ago, craigkillie said: I don't see how we can squeeze two extra games into November given that the domestic league seasons only stop on 13th November and the World Cup starts on 21st November. Are players going to be expected to play domestic football on Saturday or Sunday, then play Tuesday/Friday in the Nations League somewhere in Europe and then immediately on to Qatar to kick off a World Cup on the Monday? This wouldn't just affect the four nations in our play-off path either - it also affects Poland, Netherlands, Croatia and Denmark, all of whom are either qualified for the World Cup or in the play-offs, and all of whom have Nations League games scheduled against Austria or Wales in June. I recall posts like this in the weeks leading up to Israel playoff in March 2020. One of the learning points from the Covid experience is that football matches and tournaments at any level can, on a whim, be canned, postponed, abandoned, moved about or rescheduled in such a way that has no regard for player welfare. The starting point here is to find out how Ukraine wish to proceed and act on those intentions. If that means inconveniencing a load of different nations then that's just how it will be. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HibeeJibee Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 (edited) Trying to play Nations League games immediately before WC in November looks undesirable. Italy are playing 5 games in June (due to Artemio Franchi Trophy being added into midweek preceding Nations League quadruple-header). Everybody played 3 games per international break for over a year due to cancellations during 2020. It'd cause a lot of disrupton but on paper they could shoe-horn WC playoff ties into June and/or delay a Nations League game into September. e.g. WC playoff SF on midweek of Wednesday 1st June WC playoff Final on weekend of Saturday 4th June Nations League opening games due weekend of Saturday 4th June delayed to midweek of Wednesday 21st September Extra measures could also be taken such as extending June window by 1 week for playoff quartet. Every continent outside Europe had an extra international window added in January, while Oceania had this month's extended to 2.5 weeks in which teams will play upto 5 matches (or 6 in case of Cook Islands or Tonga until latter withdrew following earthquake). Either more workable IMO. Edited March 2, 2022 by HibeeJibee 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
resk Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 Chick Young on the wireless re. the Bill Leckie proposal - we should go further, every country should step aside and give Ukraine the trophy. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bishop Briggs Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 53 minutes ago, resk said: Chick Young on the wireless re. the Bill Leckie proposal - we should go further, every country should step aside and give Ukraine the trophy. No chance! The Qataris would want their FIFA bribes investment back. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurkst Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 9 hours ago, Bully Wee Villa said: Did Scotland get a bye to the 1298 World Cup? Another group stage exit, at the hands of Friesland, Gorizia and Habsburg. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ayr23 Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 I just can't see Ukraine getting a team together. How many of their players and supporters have really even given this game a thought over the past week? Their FA will obviously be trying to work something out though. And as others have said, the situation by June could be even worse. Surely UEFA will have to announce something by the end of next week after discussions with the Ukraine FA and SFA? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Lambies Doos Posted March 2, 2022 Share Posted March 2, 2022 Trying to play Nations League games immediately before WC in November looks undesirable. Italy are playing 5 games in June (due to Artemio Franchi Trophy being added into midweek preceding Nations League quadruple-header). Everybody played 3 games per international break for over a year due to cancellations during 2020. It'd cause a lot of disrupton but on paper they could shoe-horn WC playoff ties into June and/or delay a Nations League game into September. e.g. WC playoff SF on midweek of Wednesday 1st June WC playoff Final on weekend of Saturday 4th June Nations League opening games due weekend of Saturday 4th June delayed to midweek of Wednesday 21st September Extra measures could also be taken such as extending June window by 1 week for playoff quartet. Every continent outside Europe had an extra international window added in January, while Oceania had this month's extended to 2.5 weeks in which teams will play upto 5 matches (or 6 in case of Cook Islands or Tonga until latter withdrew following earthquake). Either more workable IMO.Ukraine should be given every chance but proposal above gives massive advantage to either Wales or Austria. Their game will go ahead thus they have a decent break pre final. Our game going ahead only 3 days before any potential final, say (120 mins + Pens) then travel to either Cardiff/Vienna is a massive disadvantage. If they are going to move game to June, tgats fine but both semis should move. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobbieD Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 10 hours ago, resk said: Chick Young on the wireless re. the Bill Leckie proposal - we should go further, every country should step aside and give Ukraine the trophy. Did he actually say that? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
immcinto Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 Ukrainians have bigger fish to fry at the moment. Hard to see how they could have a team together any time this year. Surely would be better to guarantee them a play-off slot 2026? Then they wouldn't have to worry so much about fulfilling qualifiers. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
resk Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 51 minutes ago, RobbieD said: Did he actually say that? Yes. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paco Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 It does look like the foreign-based Ukraine players are, for now at least, continuing to play for their club sides. From that perspective they may well be happy to play the game as planned. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stellaboz Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 I think the decision should be entirely the Ukraine FA's. If they think they can put together at team that is happy to play the fixture, we should play it now. If we wait until June, who knows what could happen in that time ? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2426255 Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 (edited) Fair play to this footballer, how his world must have changed from potentially representing his country at Qatar 2022, to helping fight off an invasion. Edited March 3, 2022 by 2426255 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobbieD Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 3 hours ago, immcinto said: Ukrainians have bigger fish to fry at the moment. Hard to see how they could have a team together any time this year. Surely would be better to guarantee them a play-off slot 2026? Then they wouldn't have to worry so much about fulfilling qualifiers. Guarantee them nothing. It’s a sad situation clearly and bigger than sport. Always will be and should be. But if sport continues, either you can put out a team or you can’t. No freebies for later. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BFTD Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 23 hours ago, Bully Wee Villa said: Did Scotland get a bye to the 1298 World Cup? We qualified automatically as champions in 1294 after our Mongolian opponents were dissolved when Kubla Khan died. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virtual Insanity Posted March 3, 2022 Share Posted March 3, 2022 23 minutes ago, RobbieD said: Guarantee them nothing. It’s a sad situation clearly and bigger than sport. Always will be and should be. But if sport continues, either you can put out a team or you can’t. No freebies for later. While I agree with the point re: 2026 largely as its far too far ahead, it will be an absolutely shameful look for the SFA if they take a hard line stance on this. We should be offering any realistic alternative to the Ukraine FA - clearly there are no guarantees as to June being any more suitable but they should be given the option. I have no doubt that it could be made to work with willingness from all parties. Would be embarrassing progressing to a final playoff because we'd dug our heels in and shown no willingness to compromise. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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