Europa Conference League

Subterms

    More stories

    • 288 Shares179 Views

      in Soccer

      I won European Cup with Aston Villa 40 years ago – I’m still a registered player and continue to play in my SEVENTIES

      by

      MIDFIELD legend Des Bremner played for Hibs and Aston Villa more than 40 years ago — and still turns out today in his SEVENTIES!Villa’s European Cup-winning star moved south in 1979 after seven years at Hibs and remains registered with the FA as a player… for Shard End Over-63s in Birmingham.
      Des Bremner played for Hibernian in the 1970sCredit: Rex
      Bremner later won the European Cup with Aston VillaCredit: PA:Empics Sport
      And he will be back at Easter Road on Wednesday night — and Villa Park next week — to see his two old clubs.
      Bremner, 70, said: “I’m thinking of going with a half green and half claret-and-blue scarf!
      “I loved it at Easter Road, we had a really good side. But when I was 27 I got the chance to go to Villa.
      “It had been an ambition of mine to play in England — but I never believed I’d play in a European Cup-winning team.
      READ MORE FOOTBALL
      “I go to my local pub and the guys who are my generation are the only ones who mention that European Cup final — although I’m thinking about taking my medal up to Edinburgh with me.
      “I’m 70 but I still play walking football once a week. It keeps me active and I enjoy it, though you can’t tackle — and I always liked a tackle!”
      Bremner played in a couple of Battle of Britain Euro ties with Hibs.
      He revealed: “We took Leeds to penalties in the Uefa Cup in 1973 after two goalless games.
      Most read in Football
      FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS – BEST NEW CUSTOMER OFFERS
      “I scored mine but Pat Stanton hit the post with his and that knocked us out.
      “Then the season after we played Liverpool — we won at home but John Toshack scored a hat-trick at Anfield to beat us.” More

    • 200 Shares199 Views

      in Soccer

      Aston Villa fans set to watch Europa Conference League clash for FREE as TV rights revealed

      by

      ARMCHAIR Aston Villa fans will be able to watch their side’s first European tie for 13 years live on TV on Wednesday.SunSport can reveal BBC Scotland has obtained the rights to broadcast the Battle of Britain first-leg Europa Conference League clash in Edinburgh.
      Aston Villa fans can watch the match against Hibernian on BBC ScotlandCredit: Alamy
      They will broadcast the action from Easter Road on various satellite platforms, iPlayer and the BBC Sport Scotland website.
      Villa fans have only been allocated 1,000 tickets for the eagerly anticipated cross-border clash at Easter Road, with stay-at-home fans fearing they faced a TV blackout.
      However, Hibernian have struck an agreement with the Beeb which will allow fans to watch the action, with coverage starting at 5:30pm for the match which has a 5.45pm kick-off.
      At the qualifying stage of the Europa Conference League TV rights are negotiated by the home club, rather than UEFA.
      READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWS
      The return leg at Villa Park on Thursday, August 31 will be covered live by TNT Sports, formerly known as BT Sports, with an 8pm kick-off.
      Villa are appearing in Europe for the first time since 2010 after finishing seventh in the Premier League last season.
      The club’s previous European campaign saw them eliminated by Austrian side Rapid Wien in the Europa League play-off round.
      A victory against Hibernian would see Villa through to their first continental group stage since the 2008/09 UEFA Cup.
      Most read in Football
      BETTING SPECIAL – BEST SPORTS BETTING APPS IN THE UK
      Next week’s second leg will be followed by the draw for the group stage on September 1.
      Villa are the only English club in the Europa Conference League, which was won by West Ham last season. More

    • 200 Shares149 Views

      in Soccer

      Conference League clash delayed and crowd sprayed with tear gas after fan’s cheeky stunt sparks riot

      by

      NK MARIBOR’S Europa Conference League clash with Fenerbahce was delayed by 28 minutes after a fan’s cheeky stunt sparked a riot.The Slovenian side hosted their Turkish counterparts already trailing 3-1 from last week’s first leg.
      Fenerbahce fans clashed with their Maribor counterparts in ugly scenesCredit: Getty
      Fenerbahce supporters reportedly stormed into the Maribor sections of the groundCredit: Getty
      Maribor fans were alleged to have taken a Fenerbahce bannerCredit: Getty
      All hell broke loose during the second half of the matchCredit: Getty
      With Maribor 1-0 down in Thursday’s return fixture, pandemonium broke out in the stands.
      Fenerbahce supporters alleged that a Maribor fan dressed as stewards to steal their banner.
      The visiting supporters didn’t take kindly to the reported act, attacking the home end in order to get their banner back.
      What followed were wild scenes in which riot police battled to get matters back under control.
      Read More Football Stories
      Fenerbahce players and manager Ismail Kartal could be seen begging their fans to stand down.
      The riot took a long time to simmer down, with 28 minutes of stoppage time being required at the end of the match.
      Irfan Kahveci’s strike on 17 minutes had given Fener the lead on the night.
      Further efforts by Sebastian Szymanski and Dusan Tadic completed a 3-0 away leg victory and 6-1 aggregate triumph.
      Most read in Football
      FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS – BEST NEW CUSTOMER OFFERS
      After the match, Fenerbahce fans claimed on social media that they had been tear gassed by police.
      The Turkish side will face FC Twente of the Eredivisie in the Europa Conference League play-off round.
      FC Twente defeated Latvian side Riga 5-0 on aggregate.
      Fenerbahce manager Ismail Kartal begged fans to come to orderCredit: Getty
      Players also pleaded with their own supportersCredit: Getty
      Riot police got involved in the unrestCredit: Getty More

    • 213 Shares189 Views

      in Soccer

      Fans convinced there has been a mistake in Europa League draw as baffling new rule is introduced

      by

      FOOTBALL fans were left baffled with UEFA’s new rule in the Europa League draw.The European governing body has decided that this year there will be no country protection in the play-offs before the group stage.
      Fans are baffled by the new Europa League rule that excludes country protectionCredit: Getty
      That means Zorya Luhansk may face fellow Ukrainian outfit DniproCredit: Getty
      That means two teams from the same nation can actually play against each other in Europe.
      Thus, Zorya Luhansk could face fellow Ukrainian outfit Dnipro in the final qualifying round.
      Dnipro are playing Slavia Prague in the third qualifying round and the winner will square up against Zorya.
      However, fans have yet to adapt to the new rule and some even wondered if UEFA completed yet another blunder during today’s draw.
      Read More on Football
      One fan tweeted: “Is the top fixture even allowed to stand btw?
      “Dnipro and Zorya are both Ukrainian and could play each other. Unless I’m wrong about something.”
      Another commented: “Why Zorya can play against Dnipro? I need an explanation.”
      A third said: “In the Uefa Europa League draw, #Dnipro was drawn against the winner between Slavia Prague and #Zorya Luhansk.
      Most read in Football

      DREAM TEAM IS LIVE – JOIN NOW TO BATTLE FOR THE £50k TOP PRIZE
      “Unlike the Champions and Conference League, the 2023/2024 Europa League regulations do not provide so-called “country protection” for the playoff round. Weird. #UELDRAW.”
      This fan wrote: “Dnipro vs Zorya ? How ?”
      And that one wondered: “What is @UEFA doing?”
      Liverpool and Brighton may meet the winner of that exchange in the the Europa League group stage after finishing fifth and sixth respectively in the Premier League last season.
      The Reds and the Seagulls will be joined by West Ham, who won the Europa Conference League. More

    • 188 Shares159 Views

      in Soccer

      Juventus KICKED OUT of Europe by Uefa and handed huge fine for financial rule breaches

      by

      UEFA have BOOTED Juventus out of Europe after breaching financial rules.It means the Italian side will no longer be able to compete in the upcoming season’s Europa Conference League.
      Juventus have been booted out of Europe by UefaCredit: Getty
      The club have been slapped with a £17.15m fineCredit: Getty
      In addition to the ban, they have also been handed a hefty fine by Europe’s governing football body.
      Uefa handed them a fine worth £17.15million, though half of this sum is conditional.
      In a statement, Uefa stated the additional £8.6m would only come into play if Juventus’ financial statements for the years 2023, 2024 and 2025 do not comply with accounting requirements listed in the body’s Licensing and Financial sustainability rules.
      The breaches relate to player registration rights between 2019 and 2021, with an official investigation being opened by Uefa in December.
      READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
      The ban means Juventus will likely be replaced by Fiorentina in next season’s competition.
      It also sees Aston Villa elevated from the unseeded to the seeded pot for August’s two-legged play-offs.
      In response to the decision, Juventus president Gianluca Ferrero said: “We regret the decision of the Uefa Club Financial Control Body.
      “We do not share the interpretation that has been given of our defence, and we remain firmly convinced of the legitimacy of our actions and the validity of our arguments.”
      Most read in Football
      FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS – BEST NEW CUSTOMER OFFERS
      The club’s statement added they have decided not to appeal the decision.
      Juventus were handed a ten-point deduction in May by the Italian FA after being found guilty of inflating transfer fees to create millions of pounds worth of “capital gains” for tax purposes.
      The initial punishment had seen them hit with a 15-point deduction before this was revoked pending a new investigation, which concluded with the Bianconeri being hit with a ten-point penalty.
      The Serie A giants were not the only club to be handed a fine by Uefa, with Chelsea also being handed an £8.6m fine for FFP breaches during their time under previous owner Roman Abramovich.
      This related to a seven-year period from 2012 to 2019. More

    • 238 Shares159 Views

      in Soccer

      West Ham fans fume at ’embarrassing’ punishment as Uefa make decision after AZ Alkmaar chaos in Europa Conference League

      by

      WEST HAM’S players have been cleared by Uefa after clashing with AZ Alkmaar thugs in the Europa Conference League semi-final.A string of the London club’s stars rushed to defend their friends and families as the Dutch hooligans attempted to storm an area where the travelling contingent had been sat.
      Crowd trouble erupted during the semi-final of the Europa Conference LeagueCredit: AFP
      AZ Alkmaar have been handed punishment by Uefa for the behaviour of their fansCredit: Getty
      Yet while West Ham have avoided punishment, Alkmaar have been handed a suspended one-game stadium ban along with nearly £69,000 in fines.
      The stadium ban will be activated if there is any more trouble at their ground in the next two years while they were fined £43,000 for the attack on the West Ham section.
      Alkmaar have also been fined £12,900 for the lighting of fireworks, £6,900 for supporters blocking public passageways and £6,000 for the throwing of objects, .
      The trouble erupted after David Moyes’ team won 1-0 on the night to knock out Alkmaar 3-1 on aggregate.
      READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
      While stewards and security were on the scene, Hammers players including Lucas Paqueta, Said Benrahma, Declan Rice, Angelo Ogbonna, Aaron Cresswell, Jarrod Bowen and Flynn Downes were all involved in the chaos.
      West Ham won the competition by beating Fiorentina 2-1 in the final in Prague.
      Bowen’s 90th-minute winner saw the London club bring home their first piece major silverware since 1980.
      There were fines handed out to West Ham fans from that game after missiles were thrown onto the pitch which left Cristiano Biraghi with a bleeding head.
      Most read in Football
      FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS – BEST NEW CUSTOMER OFFERS
      Uefa also slapped West Ham fans with a ban going into next season’s opening Europa League away fixture.
      However, the Hammers faithful were left unhappy at the level of punishment dished out by Uefa to Alkmaar.
      One fan wrote: “Considering our bans, embarrassing punishment.”
      A second said: “I’m sorry how have they literally attacked the families of the players and have got away with a minimal fine?”
      Another remarked: “That’s not even a slap on the wrist.”
      A fourth declared: “If an English team did that we’d be banned for multiple years. The double standard is crazy.” More

    • 188 Shares169 Views

      in Soccer

      La Liga side have European ban OVERTURNED by Uefa just four weeks before first match

      by

      OSASUNA have overturned Uefa’s European ban and will compete in this year’s Europa Conference League.The LaLiga club were initially kicked out of Europe’s third-tier competition as punishment for a decade-old match-fixing scandal just four weeks before the tournament’s opener.
      Osasuna overturned their Europa Conference League banCredit: Getty
      UEFA initially banned Osasuna due to a decade-old match-fixing scandalCredit: Reuters
      The issue in question is referred to as ‘Caso-Osasuna’ and it ended with former club president Miguel Archanco and five former club directors being sentenced to prison.
      That’s after a court found £557,000 of club funds were directed to pay players from other teams to influence results.
      However, the Spanish outfit appealed the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and managed to turn it around.
      Uefa found Osasuna were a “victim of the events” that occurred from the 2013/2014 season.
      Read More on Football
      Jagoba Arrasate’s side will therefore be present on the Europa Conference League play-off draw, which takes place on August 7.
      However, Uefa have opened a different disciplinary procedure against the club.
      That is because the team went to “ordinary courts” during the ongoing process.
      However, that won’t lead to any ban from Europe and Osasuna promised not to appeal the governing body’s decision.
      Most read in Football
      FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS – BEST NEW CUSTOMER OFFERS
      The Pamplona outfit finished seventh in LaLiga last season after beating Athletic Bilbao to the final qualification spot by two points.
      That means they may face Aston Villa in the Europa Conference League this coming season.
      Villa also finished seventh in the Premier League after a stunning turnaround under manager Unai Emery. More

    • 325 Shares179 Views

      in Soccer

      I travelled 15 hours & 1,400 miles to cheer on my team in Europe but was ONLY fan to turn up – the players were shocked

      by

      A DIE HARD football fan travelled over 1,400 MILES from Lativa to North Macedonia to watch his team’s Conference League qualifier but he was the only one to make the trip.Gints Jankovskis, 25, spent over £500 flying from Riga in Latvia to Skopje via Warsaw to watch FK Rīgas Futbola Skola – RFS – take on FK Makedonija at the Gjorce Petrov Stadium.
      Gints Jankovskis is a diehard FK Rīgas Futbola Skola supporterCredit: Sanita Ieva Sparāne / RFS
      He was the only one of the club’s supporters to make the trip to watch the team in the Conference leagueCredit: Sanita Ieva Sparāne / RFS
      The Latvian’s first flight to Warsaw was cancelled and after an hour of talking with the airline he was able to get a new ticket.
      He vlogged the whole trip which shows the chaos that followed, with it taking him 15 hours to get to his destination.
      It included jumping on a different airline in order to catch the flight to North Macedonia in time for the match against .
      Ginsts told SunSport: “It is crazy, it took 15 hours to get there, it is so hard to get from Lativa from North Macedonia too because there are so few flights.
      READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
      “The first moment when I arrived at the stadium was interesting because I think they were not ready for the game as it only opened 40 minutes before kick off.
      “That was really interesting, no one was really selling anything like only at the shop you can get something that was not in the stadium.
      “There was not a lot of people, maybe a maximum of 400 people and it was chill, nothing was aggressive like that which was nice.”
      And it was a worthwhile trip for Gints as Andrej Ilic netted the only goal of the game to give RFS a first-leg lead.
      Most read in Football
      He added: “It was so hot and we could have scored two or three goals, but I was loving the moment that we scored.”
      BETTING SPECIAL – BEST NO DEPOSIT CASINO OFFERS
      His attendance at the game was appreciated by the players and club itself as he spoke to many of the players after the game.
      He said: “Yeah the players came to me and we have a really good connection and we are always celebrating together or crying together.
      “But after the game, they came over and spoke to me for like 15 minutes.
      “When the press conference was going on we were just talking by the bus about the trip.
      Gints said the atmosphere from the 400 home supporters was ‘not aggressive’ to himCredit: Sanita Ieva Sparāne / RFS
      And it ended well for Gints as Andrej Ilic netted the only goal of the gameCredit: Sanita Ieva Sparāne / RFS
      “Some of them were surprised to see me, but some do follow me on social media and know I travel for all the games.
      “Last year was like that as we were going for the group games in the Conference League.”
      The whole trip cost Gints £515 but it was completely worth it.
      He said: “Yeah of course, I can’t explain how the emotions are going on and the money is not a priority if I can see my team play in this competition.
      Gints spoke to the players after the gameCredit: Sanita Ieva Sparāne / RFS
      The players all shook his handCredit: Gints Jankovskis – Youtube
      He had a picture with Brazilian ace Emerson
      As well as RFS goalkeeper Pavel Steinbors
      “You can only get the emotions like this from football and it is so amazing.
      “In Latvia, only two teams have been in Uefa competition group stage in its history, so for the Conference League to give clubs this opportunity it is great.
      “I can not explain how crazy and exciting it was going on in Latvia as it is helping football become the No1 sport in the country.”
      The club itself also tweeted a lovely message to him on social media.It read: “The Man. The Myth. The Legend. Gints Jankovskis from Riverside Lions.
      The club paid tribute to Gints on TwitterCredit: Twitter
      RFS played Fiorentina in the competition last seasonCredit: Getty
      “Alone in Skopje supporting us. Its 39C ☀️Thank You 💙.”
      To which Gints said: “I was surprised to see that it is so crazy to see how many people saw it online, it is like being a little internet star.”
      Gints is now planning on travelling to Azerbaijan to watch RFS in the next round after they won the second leg at home 4-1.
      Read More on The Sun
      It is not the club’s first appearance in European football having made the group stages last season.
      RFS did finish bottom of the group but did manage respectful draws against Istanbul Basaksehir and eventual finalists Fiorentina, which were both watched in person by Gints. More