Dutch playmaker Wesley Sneijder recently joined the ranks of those who prefer the continental tournament, saying it was more challenging "because you don't have the teams from Africa or wherever when you know you are going to take three points".
A Rio de Janeiro newspaper has suggested that Euro 2012 is "the World Cup without Brazil or Argentina".
The Czech Republic's 2-1 win exposed the flaws in that argument, instead handing ammunition to those who feel that the World Cup would be better if it was not cluttered with so many unremarkable European teams.
It is hard to imagine that the likes of Uruguay, Mexico, United States, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Chile, Japan or South Korea could not have done better than the sloppy and unimaginative Czechs and Greeks.
There was a brief moment of quality in the third minute when Tomas Hubschman split the Greek defence with an incisive pass for Petr Jiracek to open the scoring.
But that was followed by a moment of farce three minutes later when the Greek defence failed to clear goalkeeper Petr Cech's 80-metre goal kick and Vaclav Pilar got in front of two markers to bundle the ball home with his knee.
Hopeful punts
The Czechs could have had a couple more goals as Greece's makeshift defence found itself at sixes and sevens.
Instead Greece got back into the game after a moment of sheer slapstick when Cech allowed Giorgos Samaras's cross to slip through his hands, leaving Fanis Gekas to roll it into an empty net.
The Czech Republic, who at least in the first half had showed some inclination to play the ball in midfield, then looked to Cech's goal kicks as their main attacking weapon.
He thumped 10 successive clearances deep into the Greek half during the second half, but only one of those ended with a shot on goal while five in a row were cleared by the Greek defence.
The Greek attacks also consisted almost entirely of hopeful punts into the area, aimed at the heads of Samaras or Kostas Fortounis.
The teams shared 40 fouls and six yellow cards in a match also marred by the theatrics and histrionics which UEFA, despite its Respect motto, and FIFA, whose watchwords are Fair Play, seem unable or unwilling to kick out of the game.
UEFA, widely criticised for its decision to increase the number of teams from 16 to 24 at the next tournament, proudly points out that the last two World Cup finals have been all-European matches.
The other side of the coin is that of Europe's 13 representatives in South Africa two years ago, seven went out in the first round, France, Greece, Slovenia, Serbia, Denmark, Italy and Switzerland.
After Tuesday's match it was easier to side with Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez, whose side beat Peru 4-2 in an enthralling World Cup qualifier on Sunday, than with Dutchman Sneijder.
"The game was a footballing joy," he said of the match in Montevideo. "The intensity, the passion of both teams, the number of chances created is something you don't see in the European Championship which is being played at the moment."