UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying Group I
Group I of the UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying tournament is one of the nine groups to decide the teams which qualify for the UEFA Euro 2016 finals tournament.[1] Group I consists of five teams: Portugal, Denmark, Serbia, Armenia, and Albania,[2] where they play against each other home-and-away in a round-robin format.[3]
Standings
Matches
The fixtures were released by UEFA the same day as the draw, which was held on 23 February 2014 in Nice.[4] Times are CET/CEST,[note 1] as listed by UEFA (local times are in parentheses).
Denmark  | 2–1 |  Armenia |
|---|---|---|
Højbjerg  65'Kahlenberg 80' |
Report | Mkhitaryan 50' |
| Armenia | 1–1 |  Serbia |
|---|---|---|
| Arzumanyan 73' |
Report | Z. Tošić 89' |
Centralised friendlies
France are partnered with the five-team Group I, which enable the 2016 tournament hosts to play friendlies against these countries on their 'spare' dates.[8] These friendlies do not count in the qualifying group standings.
Goalscorers
Note: Do not include centralised friendlies.
- 2 goals
- 1 goal
Discipline
A player is automatically suspended for the next match for the following offences:[3]
- Receiving a red card (red card suspensions may be extended for serious offences)
- Receiving three yellow cards in three different matches, as well as after fifth and any subsequent yellow card (yellow card suspensions are carried forward to the play-offs, but not the finals or any other future international matches)
The following suspensions were (or will be) served during the qualifying matches:
| Team | Player | Offence(s) | Suspended for match(es) |
|---|
Portugal coach Fernando Santos is to serve an eight-match touchline ban for unsporting conduct towards the match officials when he was in charge of Greece against Costa Rica in the 2014 FIFA World Cup round of 16 match.[9] The ban has been temporarily suspended by the Court of Arbitration for Sport until the final appeal.[10]
Notes
- ^ CET (UTC+1) for matches on 14 November 2014, and CEST (UTC+2) for all other matches.
- ^ a b c d Albania will play their home matches at Elbasan Arena, Elbasan instead of their regular stadium, Stadiumi Kombëtar Qemal Stafa, Tirana, as the national stadium will be reconstructed.
- ^ a b c The Serbia v Albania match was abandoned with the score at 0–0 shortly before halftime after "various incidents", which resulted in the Albania players refusing to return to the field. UEFA ruled that Albania had forfeited the match and awarded a 3–0 win to Serbia, but also deducted three points from Serbia for their involvement in the events. Serbia must also play their next two home qualifying games behind closed doors, and both the Serbian and Albanian FAs were fined €100,000.[5] Both the Serbian and Albanian football associations are currently seeking to have the decision revisited.[6][7]
References
- ^ "UEFA EURO 2016 Qualifying Draw Procedure" (PDF). UEFA. p. 1. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
- ^ "Spain face Ukraine return in EURO 2016 qualifying". UEFA.com. 23 February 2014.
- ^ a b "Regulations of the UEFA European Football Championship 2014-16" (PDF). UEFA.com.
- ^ "Qualifying fixtures" (PDF). UEFA.com.
- ^ "Serbia and Albania disciplinary decision". UEFA. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
- ^ AFP (25 October 2014). "Albania to appeal UEFA punishment over Serbia fracas". Business Insider. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
- ^ "Serbia to appeal Uefa decision". Goal.com. 24 October 2014.
- ^ "Centralised friendlies" (PDF). UEFA.com.
- ^ "Update on FIFA Disciplinary Committee decisions on World Cup cases". FIFA.com. 4 August 2014.
- ^ "CAS temporarily lifts Portugal coach Fernando Santos' eight-game ban". ESPNFC.com. 13 October 2014.
External links
- UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying
- 2014–15 in Danish football
- 2015–16 in Danish football
- 2014–15 in Portuguese football
- 2015–16 in Portuguese football
- 2014–15 in Serbian football
- 2015–16 in Serbian football
- 2014–15 in Albanian football
- 2015–16 in Albanian football
- 2014–15 in Armenian football
- 2015–16 in Armenian football