FIFA 09 - What New Leagues Should And Shouldn’t Be In?

By Dennis Bjørn Petersen | Jun 23, 2008

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This is another great guest post by Andrew McCarten.

FIFA 09 is right around the corner and the rumors are aplenty over what new leagues/features will be in the latest edition of the game. Last year saw the edition of the Australian A League, the eircom League of Ireland, and the Czech Republic Gambrinus Liga. All three are quality, burgeoning leagues that are already producing stars in their own right. This article will assess what leagues would be good additions to FIFA 09 (perhaps all of the top flights of the UK and Ireland?), and which one would just be a waste of time.

EIRCOM LEAGUE OF IRELAND 1ST DIVISION: Since the eL Premier Division was added last year (albeit without cup competitions), a situation where your club could be promoted/relegated would make the game deeper and more entertaining. This would also allow for Irish cup competitions (FAI Cup, League Cup) to be more realistic since 1st division clubs also make it to the latter stages.

Verdict: Yes

SCOTTISH LOWER LEAGUES: The SPL is already included in the game, and the addition of the Scottish Football League would certainly appease some Scots. But this isn’t practical. The SFL squads are just not good enough; can you imagine having to give a player a rating like a 30 or 25? The lowest-quality league in the game in the Football League 2, which should be there due to its history and the English Football League system. The SFL’s 1st, 2nd, and 3rd divisions are nowhere near the quality of England’s football league, and these clubs just don’t deserve to be in the game (apologies to East Stirlingshire!).

Verdict: No

IRISH PREMIER LEAGUE (NORTHERN IRELAND): The Irish Premier League, Northern Ireland’s top flight, it must be said is pretty much monopolized by Belfast giants Linfield FC. However, there are some quality sides (Linfield, Glentoran, and Cliftonville come to mind) and a good number of players got their start in the league. At the very least their average sides match that of your average League 2 sides. Linfield and Glentoran are regulars in European competition and have experienced some success. As an added bonus, this would open up an avenue for the Setanta Cup, which is played between the best sides from the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Verdict: Yes

LOWER LEAGUES OF ENGLAND (BLUE SQUARE PREMIER, BSP NORTH AND SOUTH, ETC): With England the most well-represented nation in the games based on sheer number of leagues and teams, some might call for the addition of the Blue Square Premier League, which is one step lower than League 2. However this is not practical; where do you draw the line? The Football League is the perfect place to end England’s representation, once they start adding below that when is it fair to stop; Kettering Town or Boreham Wood? Haven’t heard of either? Exactly.

Verdict: No

RUSSIAN PREMIER LEAGUE: The real surprise here is if the Russian Premier League doesn’t make FIFA 09. Russian sides have won the UEFA Cup twice this decade (Zenit St Petersburg this past year, CSKA Moscow in 2005). The league is currently ranked just behind France in many of the European league ranking polls, in front of many leagues included in the last few editions of the game. With a long list of Russian internationals and those of other countries (Vagner Love of Brazil, Martin Jiranek and Radoslav Kovac of the Czech Republic, and Stipe Pletikosa of Croatia for starters) there is no excuse for one of Europe’s top leagues to be again neglected in FIFA 09.

Verdict: Yes

ARGENTINE PRIMERA DIVISION: Another league with huge clubs that has surprising been left out the last few years. It is especially confounding since the Brazilian League is included. Boca Juniors and River Plate are two of the most recognizable names in world football, and it is true that they have been included in the “Rest of World” selection in the league section. But why not go all the way and include the league? Arguably the best domestic league in South America and home to many famous players (Juan Roman Riquelme, Juan Sebastian Veron, etc), as well as a penchant for producing tomorrow’s Argentine stars, this league would be a logical addition to FIFA 09.

Verdict: Yes

LIGA I (ROMANIA): Another logical addition to the new edition. The Romanian top flight is climbing the rankings, as is their national team ranked 12th in the world, and many of them play in Liga I (Bogdan Lobont, Mirel Radoi, Banel Nicolita, etc). Both Dinamo Bucharest and Steau Bucharest have traditionally done very well in Europe, and current champions CFR Cluj could definitely make a splash in next year’s Champions League or in the UEFA Cup.

Verdict: Yes

WELSH PREMIER LEAGUE: Probably the toughest choice, as it is clearly at the lower end of the European league spectrum. However, Welsh clubs’ results in Europe have greatly improved over the last few years, and despite major clubs based in Wales playing in the English system (Cardiff City, Swansea City, Wrexham), the league has shown signs of development. While many of the players competing in Wales aren’t well known, it would be the 4th and final British top flight league added, and 5th in the British Isles (assuming the Irish Premier League is added as well). If the makers of the game are a little obsessive compulsive, this may just find its way into FIFA 09.

Verdict: Yes

UNITED SOCCER LEAGUES (USL): Up until very recently, the quality difference between the MLS and the USL 1st Division (top flight) was not that large; of course recent investment has caused the MLS to pull away, with the likes of David Beckham, Cuauhtémoc Blanco, Abel Xavier, and Juan Pablo Angel signing with American clubs. The USL is a very good league, which has produced a number of accomplished MLS players. USL sides have also done exceptionally well in the US Open Cup against MLS clubs. An added bonus is team locations; there are two clubs in Canada (Montreal Impact and Vancouver Whitecaps) as well as one in Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico Islanders). Despite all of this, a USL league in the game would not matter. All of the lower leagues included in the games are based on a promotion and relegation system between divisions. Until the US and MLS find a way to set up relegation and promotion, and before that a unified system including the USL clubs, then it is impractical to include them.

Verdict: No

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