Austria, Faroe Islands seek early WCup qualifier

Posted Friday, November 18, 2011 by YAHOO Sport

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP)—Austria and Faroe Islands want to move their 2014 World Cup qualifying match so it is played before next year’s European Championship.

Unless FIFA approves the move, the schedule of qualifying matches also involving Germany, Sweden, Ireland and Kazakhstan could be thrown into disarray.

The six national federations agreed on a qualifying schedule Thursday in Frankfurt. Normally, qualifying for the World Cup would start in September.

The Faroe Islands objected to playing Austria in March 2013 because the domestic league is still inactive then.

“If we played in March (2013), our players would not have played a competitive match in five months,” said Kristin Dam Ziska, the general secretary of the Faroe Islands football federation.

The Faroe’s 1-0 defeat of Austria in 1990 still ranks as the northern European nation’s biggest sporting success.

The two nations want to play their Group C qualifying match on June 6 next year at Faroe Islands.

The schedule agreed in Frankfurt has the Faroes traveling to Germany on Sept. 11. That would be the opening match for Germany, the favorite in the group.

Also, Sept. 11, Ireland travels to Kazakhstan.

Four days later, Austria hosts Germany and Sweden kicks off its campaign at home against Kazakhstan.

The qualifying ends Oct. 15, 2013, with Sweden hosting Germany, Ireland facing Kazakhstan and Austria at home against the Faroes.