Who Exactly Organises This Shambles ?

Africa is a big place. No, really. It's a BIG place. It's so big, in fact, that on maps of the World, they actually shrink it to fit.

Don't believe me ? Here's a map showing the real size of the continent.

Hopefully, you're now getting the idea that Africa is, um, a BIG PLACE.

So, which idiots would put the first four World Cup 2010 qualifying matches for African nations on consecutive weekends?

Step forward, those geniuses at FIFA.

This hare-brained scheme means that many African teams will spend a whole month criss-crossing the continent, dealing with unreliable transportation and organisation, with barely a rest in between.

If you consider that, for example, Swaziland are in the same group as Togo (a distance of nearly 3,000 miles), you can see the problem.

As the CEO of the South African FA, Raymond Hack, points out with masterful understatement, "this seems a little tough on the players".

Oh, and these qualifiers take place in May, so there will be the heat to contend with too.

Well done, FIFA, another masterstroke of organisation.