The Europa Conference League: an improbable stroke of genius?
When UEFA announced the introduction of a tertiary continental club competition, it's fair to say that the idea was received lukewarm at best. While some, for various reasons, immediately heralded the UEFA Europa Conference League as a welcome addition to the European calendar, for the majority it was another UEFA maverick project - a concept formulated by a governing body seemingly more concerned with validating its own role amid the rise of 'super' clubs than adding real value to the game. Clearly there were also financial motivations involved, with UEFA seeking to extract every ounce of business potential from its lucrative domain. Nevertheless, even the staunchest critics of the European governing body would concede that it is unlikely that the establishment of a third tournament - with all the complexities and the additional organization that this entails - will be created exclusively on the pretext protect profits and legitimize UEFA's position.
Regardless of its catalysts, however, we are now, after eighteen months of the UEFA Europa Conference League's inaugural operation, able to draw some first informed conclusions about its status within the overall framework of European club football , its popularity among fans, players and coaches, and whether the three-competition format is sustainable amid an already packed footballing calendar. Indeed, adding new devices to an already relentless schedule was always going to be an inevitable by-product of this endeavor.
So, do the benefits of this Conference League outweigh the almost insurmountable strain it places on an already jam-packed schedule? UEFA's challenge in this regard has been made all the more difficult given FIFA's decision to clinch the World Cup in the middle of most of its associate members' respective league seasons. Moreover, even taking into account the dynamics of match congestion, is a competition for the third tier of European clubs really that important? Is the quality of the product good enough to justify its existence, and should teams unable to reach Europa League group stage level really be given another opportunity to feel like a continental level force?
Artwork by Onkar Shirsekar
Undoubtedly the greatest benefit the UEFA Europa Conference League has provided is the platform it has given to those at the front lines of European football. Club teams from "peripheral" nations, often in both a geographical and competitive sense...
When UEFA announced the introduction of a tertiary continental club competition, it's fair to say that the idea was received lukewarm at best. While some, for various reasons, immediately heralded the UEFA Europa Conference League as a welcome addition to the European calendar, for the majority it was another UEFA maverick project - a concept formulated by a governing body seemingly more concerned with validating its own role amid the rise of 'super' clubs than adding real value to the game. Clearly there were also financial motivations involved, with UEFA seeking to extract every ounce of business potential from its lucrative domain. Nevertheless, even the staunchest critics of the European governing body would concede that it is unlikely that the establishment of a third tournament - with all the complexities and the additional organization that this entails - will be created exclusively on the pretext protect profits and legitimize UEFA's position.
Regardless of its catalysts, however, we are now, after eighteen months of the UEFA Europa Conference League's inaugural operation, able to draw some first informed conclusions about its status within the overall framework of European club football , its popularity among fans, players and coaches, and whether the three-competition format is sustainable amid an already packed footballing calendar. Indeed, adding new devices to an already relentless schedule was always going to be an inevitable by-product of this endeavor.
So, do the benefits of this Conference League outweigh the almost insurmountable strain it places on an already jam-packed schedule? UEFA's challenge in this regard has been made all the more difficult given FIFA's decision to clinch the World Cup in the middle of most of its associate members' respective league seasons. Moreover, even taking into account the dynamics of match congestion, is a competition for the third tier of European clubs really that important? Is the quality of the product good enough to justify its existence, and should teams unable to reach Europa League group stage level really be given another opportunity to feel like a continental level force?
Artwork by Onkar Shirsekar
Undoubtedly the greatest benefit the UEFA Europa Conference League has provided is the platform it has given to those at the front lines of European football. Club teams from "peripheral" nations, often in both a geographical and competitive sense...
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