Once again we have reached the point in the spring where most leagues in Europe are being or have been decided, when the two most successful teams for the season are battling it out in the Champion’s League, and like every second year, the major European nations are getting ready for a big summer championship.
In about a week, the Battle of England will be decided in Moscow (!) when Chelsea and Manchester United will play each other for the most prestigious of titles for European Clubs. In the shadow of this struggle for European domination and fame, and maybe as a “warm-upâ€Â, we have another European final to look forward to this week – The UEFA Cup.
The UEFA Cup was established in the early 1970’s to allow the runners-up of the European leagues to compete for a European title. Before the expansion of the Champion’s League to allow runners-up of major European leagues to compete for the finest of trophies, the UEFA Cup (along with the Cup Winners’ Cup) held a certain status. It was not an easy competition to win, since aspiring winners would have to defeat strong teams from England, Spain, Italy, or Germany to mention a few of the traditional countries with several teams with top-European quality. Although the Cup Winners’ Cup might have held a slightly higher status, when merged with the UEFA cup in 1999, the competition held on to the name of the latter.
With the necessity for UEFA to expand the Champion’s League in order to maintain their monopoly of high-level international European club competitions, the status of the UEFA Cup diminished to a second-class competition in the eyes of many fans, players, and experts. There are a lot of more or less well-informed football (self-proclaimed or factual) experts on the game that argue for the discontinuation of the cup. The arguments usually mentions the terms “loser’s tournamentâ€Â, “lack of interestâ€Â, “waste of time and moneyâ€Â, etc. I say let’s keep it!
Naturally the best teams and players are found in the Champion’s League. I have to admit I’d rather watch a battle between Barcelona and Arsenal than a duel between Steaua Bucharest and Hapoel Tel Aviv. There is a reason that the best clubs play in the Champion’s League – they play better football. Maybe not more beautiful or spectacular all the time, but usually more efficient and at a more sustainable level over a longer period of time.
But, getting rid of the UEFA Cup, consider the alternatives. We would have national competitions where teams without reach for a spot in the Champion’s League would have anything to play for after half a season. We would have the situation where teams from countries with second-class European leagues – such as Russia, Scotland, Belgium, Romania to mention a few with recent success in this cup but nowhere near a Champion’s League title.
UEFA currently have 53 member countries. With a rough estimate of an average of 15 teams per national highest league, we get 795 teams that could compete on a European-wide level within a year. If only the 32 clubs of the Champion’s League would be allowed to compete, I have a feeling it would be slightly demotivating for the rest of the clubs. Clubs from Sweden, Austria, Czech Republic, Finland, Ireland, and at least 40 other countries could possibly make occasional appearances on the European scene, but would otherwise be bound to their national competitions, facing foreign competitors only in friendly games.
As for the upcoming final on Wednesday between Glasgow Rangers and Zenit St Petersburg…I have to admit I had rather seen their respective semi-final opponents Fiorentina and Bayern Munich battle it out in the final. However, at this level it’s all about playing smart and using the material you have to neutralize the opponents rather than pleasing the crowds. My prediction is that the Scots will win the (friendly) fight of the fans on the stands in Manchester, but that St Petersburg will win it on the pitch and lift the “loser’s cup†trophy this year.
Christian Celind for SoccerNews.com.
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