When big is bad

If Euro 2004 gets any better than this, the World Cup is under serious threat. Holland and the Czech Republic gave us the best match of the ...

If Euro 2004 gets any better than this, the World Cup is under serious threat. Holland and the Czech Republic gave us the best match of the tournament so far, and indeed among the best at this level in a long while, as Vladimir Smicer8217;s winner two minutes from time saw the match turn improbably on its head.

It was the fifth match out of 16 at Euro 2004 to be decided in the last 10 minutes. Amid the penalties, the free-kicks and outrageous goals, the close, late finishes are equally important: they are keeping us up every night with the promise of more breathless action. That, simply put, makes for a successful tournament in sheer footballing terms, stripped of all hype.

Which the World Cup, oversized and overhyped, was not. There8217;s one reason why Euro 2004 is a much tighter, more exciting tournament 8212; where every group is a Group of Death 8212; than the World Cup: The high quality of teams in the groups, which means there are no easy matches. As former Liverpool coach Gerard Houllier said on Sunday, it8217;s the emphasis on quality over quantity: 16 top teams, as opposed to 32.

The game8217;s premier tournament is being slowed down by the flab. Can anyone recall any of the groups being so exciting in Japan/Korea? No 8212; and not because there wasn8217;t any excitement, but because there was an overkill for one, there were four matches to watch every day!.

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		nbsp;	Smicer8217;s goal on Saturday was the fifth time a match was decided in the last 10 minutes 8226; On Friday night, Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored the most outrageous goal of the tournament, a flick with the outside of his foot 8226; Germany were in cruise control against the Dutch till Ruud van Nistelrooy decided to find his form and score off a spectacular volley 8226; The same night, the Czechs had done it again, coming back against minnows Latvia with the winner just five minutes from time 8226; And, of course, the night England got Zidaned 8226; There would have been at least one more to this list, had Ivica Mornar slotted home an easy chance in injury time against France	nbsp;

That tournament had as many upsets: France crashing out at the group stage, Uruguay and Portugal following suit. But at a similar stage, with 16 matches played, only three matches lived up to the hype: the opener, Senegal beating France 1-0, Korea8217;s 1-0 win over Poland and the USA8217;s 3-2 defeat of Portugal.

That8217;s a poor statistic for the World Cup but it8217;s inevitable when you have 32 teams. For every Korea there was a Saudi Arabia, hammered 8-0 by Germany; for every Senegal a China, conceding nine goals in three matches.

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There is an argument for expanding the game, though it is rooted deep in FIFA president Sepp Blatter8217;s votebank politics just as the bloated cricket world cup owes much to Jagmohan Dalmiya8217;s vision of expansionism. There is every reason to believe that China will be tougher to beat should they qualify for Germany 2006 but will they improve the competition?

Indeed, FIFA should take a leaf out of UEFA8217;s books in streamlining contests. The Champions League, the world8217;s premier club competition, is a leaner, fitter version from this past season as UEFA made the tournament knockout after the first group stage.

But, as the song goes, when the money keeps rolling in, you don8217;t ask how. If only they8217;d ask the average football fan.