Two changes by UEFA:


1. Goodbye UEFA cup, hello Europa League





2. UEFA expands Euro Championship

It's not soon, but it would be. It's just that the decision will be rubber-stamped today by the UEFA executive committee.


Just an FYI but discussion is welcome of course. Both mean more football games for me. And maybe we'll see Wales now!

Football's already pushing itself steadily to the line of over exposure without adding more meaningless games. The UEFA cup needed a tidy up but lots of knock out games kept it somewhat interesting for those who otherwise don't care to miss these often low quality match ups. If their focus is purely financial and keeping the money spinning between lesser clubs (which I believe is the cups primary purpose these days), then congratulations UEFA on the baby steps.

If they want the UEFA cup to become a more credible and prestigious competition, they'll need more than a trivial change of name and logo. And as for the rights.. they need bigger demand, not a better supply. That's not fixing things. It'll all give it a short boost of life but it doesn't address the real issues.

A full round robin does tend to weed out the lucky from the quality but they contradict the thing by allowing the Champions League losers (I don't see 3rd place out of a possible 4 as anything else) to drop in half way through and cheapen it's entire credibility. Sure it gives us a few higher quality games towards the end but at the price of a piece of the cups soul and has hurt it in the bigger picture. It makes the first half of the competition even more boring -- which UEFA and FIFA have inadvertently done in all their competitions in their undying wish to keep the big guns happy. The competition has a hard enough time being in the Champions League's shadow without catering for its drop outs too. Keep the rich clubs rich and happy. Not that there's much money in the competition at the best of times. Some of the crowds and attention for games has been so low that it's actually ended up costing clubs more money than it is making them.

It's a business move in an increasingly business-like industry. I still won't be crediting it as more than the poor mans Champions League though.

As for the european championships change -- there was only ever a couple of shock failures in qualifying as it was. Now every big team will make it through. It's nice when the tournament comes round but with all the seeding and open slots, the qualifying stage was largely predictable and boring -- now even more so. It's not a bad move but it does make me laugh. The big clubs and nations are every bit as much in charge as the governing bodies, sometimes more so. Platini was a bad appointment for me.

Oh, one thing I do like though.. no runners up in the FA cup allowed into 'Uropa Cuppica' any more. As funny and romantic as it was seeing Millwall slip in, it was equally ridiculous.

Yeah, they may want to rethink that.

Frankly I'm still a bit lost with all the Euro conferences/leagues especially the ones that are too linked together (drop ins for example).

Everyone's dining at some table or other. I've heard tales from my father of times when the 'European Champions Clubs' Cup' was for champions and champions alone. The odd thing is, he was sober at the time. Oh, politics, is there nowhere you cannot reach?

I just let 'em get on with it and focus on the actual pitch, where all else is put to one side. I still enjoy watching our clubs in Europe, despite the setup.

No football today, though.

adding more meaningless games.

I don't really care about the UEFA Cup, but I won't complain about more teams in the Euro Championship. More games for me to watch and it'll feel like an even bigger event than it already is. Some of the teams that don't have much of a chance to qualify will have a better chance now.

Yeah....like England!

Imagine if established teams still didn't make the cut after. Shame!

wait, i just re read it. 24 teams in Euro Cup!? That's garbage. as good as Europe is, there will be a couple of blow out games added to the Euro Cup. I mean come ONNNN. draw the bar at 16 teams or at least 20! who the **** wants to watch Bosnia or Faroe Islands in the Euros.. the strong nations are gonna destroy them lmaoo.

another thing, why will countrys have less chance of hosting the event??

Probably (not sure how hosting is chosen) because the event still takes place every 4 years and now there are more countries to choose from to host it (your chance is 1/24 instead of 1/16).