Fact: 24 UEFA teams are allowed to participate in the European Championship, but only 13 European teams are allowed to participate in the FIFA World Cup.
The Fouda era is now over. After four years or 48 games with 27 wins, six draws and fifteen defeats. Qualified for the European Championship, climbed into the first group of the League of Nations, only this wonderful qualification for the World Cup has failed again. what is the reason? Since Herbert Prohaska with the 1998 World Cup in France, no team president has managed to reach the World Cup finals with Austria.
Is it because of the quality of our players, the team leaders’ playing strategies, or the Austrian Federation’s youth coaches and players’ training?
Josef Hexberger qualified for the European Championship without having to leave his house. Marcel Kohler was the first athlete to earn a spot in the European Championships. Franco Fouda not only qualified, but his team made it to the round of 16. But the FIFA World Cup seems to be out of reach for the moment. And this despite the fact that our players play in the English Premier League, the First Division and the German Bundesliga.
One thing must be said: UEFA has 55 national associations. At the last UEFA European Championship, 24 teams were allowed to participate. Only 13 UEFA countries are allowed to start the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. Therefore, qualification for the World Cup is much more difficult. It is important to know that Austria is currently unable to play among the best countries in Europe. Because we have to beat the teams that are ahead of us in the FIFA ranking. We never managed to do that under Franco Foda. That’s a fact.
Wales, Denmark, Belgium, Croatia and also Sweden, who were not present this time, have regularly participated in World Cup tournaments in the past. Regardless of the name of the new team manager, the problems are much deeper and also affect our Bundesliga clubs. Not only the ÖFB, but of course also must do its homework.
Read the article in French