Intl football 's not for the eyes of everyone.

Arsenal's Wenger gave out a recent statement with regard to the UEFA Euro 2008, which just started recently. He said that 80% of international football is now rubbish with amateurish teams competing against others which are much out of their league. Just say, for instance, England and Andorra. England rank in the top 5 or 6 in the world while Andorra, 192nd if I'm not mistaken. We're seeing both ends of the world competing unnecessarily. We've all heard of football shockers and upsets but if such a calibre of international games continue, then fans would start losing interest. Quoting Wenger,

"Eighty per cent of qualifying matches this weekend were without interest - and that's being quite optimistic. We are going to destroy the interest of the spectator long-term,

"The basic problem is the congestion of international matches.

"In each Euro qualifying group, there are seven or eight teams resulting from the break-up of the Soviet Union and former eastern block countries and also from the integration of small states like Andorra and Liechtenstein.

His last point makes total sense. If later on, we get all these blocs dividing themselves to independence, then what do we get? Even more unnecessary, undeserving, boring, expectable games with the qualifers lasting for twice as long as now.

Moreover, because of less (or in-) competent teams participating, quality is either being compromised or led to a downward hill. As a newbie to the sport, I fell in love with it for the excitement and thrill it brings me everytime I catch a game. But if my viewing would just lull me to sleep and the game's already just becoming a guessing game of the final scores, then, what's the point still of catching the game? People watch it for the action, not for the right to guess final scores.

I understand we have to respect each country's participation, especially of the small ones. Yet I think the system of the whole tourney needs a restructuring. Games like England-Andorra, France-Georgia, and Spain-Liechtenstein, while they feature the stars of the world, still don't deserve to be aired in many parts of the world. Or maybe anywhere at all. Personally, I think it is all about preserving the very reason people love football and while there's beauty in every game and the sport itself, sometimes dullness just pays an unwanted visit.