Qualifying has become a farce

AT the draw for the European Championship on Sunday, the full delight of the UEFA Nations League began to unfold. There are six teams in every group, apart from the ones with five, and some of them will have already reached the play-offs, without kicking a ball.

A simple process has been rendered impossibly complicated. Meanwhile, anyone who thinks England’s group of Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Kosovo and Montenegro is easy hasn’t been paying attention.

These are all tricky away legs, particularly when club managers find out England are already in the play-off round, even if they finish bottom, and start reminding their players of the season’s priorities.