Setting the Afcon qualifying rules straight
Setting the Afcon qualifying rules straight
Posted: 2008-06-19 12:26
Fifa have amended the rules to the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, making it more complicated to determine whether Bafana Bafana will manage to go through to the second phase in their search for an African Nations Cup finals berth.
KickOff.com’s Mark Gleeson explains how this will be done:
After Eritrea’s withdrawal from the second phase, Fifa has had to adapt regulations that will define the eight best second-placed teams in the current African zone's qualifying competition.
With Nigeria on the brink of wining Group Four, South Africa have already resigned themselves to finish second at best in the group.
Eritrea’s decision to pull out, based on fears players would defect as they did last year in Angola, has meant that Group 11 has been left with just three teams (Swaziland, Togo and Zambia), compared to the four sides making up the other 11 groups.
Fifa said it was forced to find the fairest way of defining the eight best second-placed sides - who will join the 12 group winners in the third qualifying round.
It had then been decided that when ranking the runners-up, their results against their group’s fourth-placed team will not be counted.
Where it is still not possible to separate teams, the following tie-breakers would be used:
1. Greater number of points obtained in matches between the tied teams.
2. Goal difference in matches between the tied teams.
3. Greater number of goals scored in matches between the tied teams.
Where teams are still equal, then a play-off on neutral ground, with extra time and penalties if necessary, will be played if FIFA deem such a play-off is able to be fitted within the co-ordinated international match calendar.
The World Cup qualifiers are also being used to determine the Nations Cup finals field for the next continental finals in Angola in 2010. That is what South Africa are the first World Cup hosts since Italy in 1938 to participate in their own preliminaries.
These are, however, not joint qualifiers as most media outlets will have it because Fifa are in sole charge of the process, the rules, the officials’ appointments and the disciplinary procedure.
The Confederation of African Football, who run the Nations Cup, have been asked to used the World Cup qualifiers to help determine their tournament’s finalists.
South Africa’s third-round results, should they make it that far, will not be taken into account in the qualifying standings for the 2010 Fifa World Cup.
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