Europa Conference League

Subterms

    More stories

    • 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

    • 188 Shares159 Views

      in Soccer

      Watch embarrassing moment keeper runs off in celebration after penalty save before conceding freak goal

      by

      A GOALKEEPER was left red-faced after conceding a freak goal in a nail biting penalty shoot-out.Gzira United stopper David Gassar dived down to his left to palm out a strike from Glentoran star Jay Donnelly.
      Gzira keeper David Gassar got down well to palm the ball awayCredit: BBC
      But the ball span towards goal after bouncing and trickled inCredit: BBC
      Glentoran stopper Aaron McCarey celebrated wildly as the goal was givenCredit: BBC
      He ran off celebrating believing he had sent his side through to the Europa Conference League second qualifying round.
      But remarkably the ball spun back towards goal and trickled across the line to level the shoot-out at 12-12.
      Glentoran’s goalkeeper Aaron McCarey jumped about in delight, while the commentators could not contain their excitement.
      The commentator said: “Misses…is it going to go in? It’s gone in! It’s gone in! The ball has gone in! We’ve been giving another lifeline.
      READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
      “The goalkeepers away down the Newtownards road.
      “It just bounced, it’s span, he’s away! He’s away! and it’s in!”
      Unfortunately for Glentoran their joy was short lived as Leon Boyd missed the crucial spot-kick to give Gzira United a 14-13 shoot-out win.
      The crazy game only went to penalties thanks to Bobby Burns’ equaliser for Glentoran in the 13th minute of added time.
      Most read in Football
      BETTING SPECIAL – BEST SPORTS BETTING APPS IN THE UK
      Some fans were shocked Donnelly’s penalty was allowed to stand while others loved the commentary.
      One said: “Shouldn’t have counted. Luckily Gzira went through.”
      Another added: “Isn’t the ball dead the second it stops going forward in a penalty shoot-out?”
      A third wrote: “The goalkeeper is away down the Newtownards road commentary line is out of this world funny.”
      And another commented: “The goalkeepers away down the Newtownards Road” commentary gold.” More

    • 250 Shares149 Views

      in Soccer

      I started a football team with £500 at aged 18 and now we are playing in the Europa Conference League

      by

      THE closest most teenagers will get to running their own football team is on a computer game but Louis Perry has done it for real.The Brit moved to Gibraltar in 2013 when he was just 18 and was keen to continue playing football.
      Louis Perry started Bruno’s Magpies in GibraltarCredit: https://twitter.com/BrunosMagpies/photo
      The team was formed in Bruno’s barCredit: Google Maps
      Perry showed promise during a trial at a club called Cannons, scoring twice from left-back.
      But he was rejected by the club as he was told the assistant manager would take the position.
      This gave Perry the motivation to start his own club, which he did, at his grandparent’s bar.
      Perry formed the team out of ex-pats who lived in the British Overseas Territory and were patrons at the bar.
      READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
      And he was able to find enough players to fill out a first team and even a reserves team.
      Perry then appointed Mick Embleton as the team’s first manager, however, he took the role as long as the word “Magpies” was in the team name and that they played in his beloved Newcastle’s black and white striped shirts.
      Perry spent £500 registering both teams with the GFA and was helped by his grandparents, who also provided finance for the kits.
      And that combined with the name of Perry’s grandparent’s bar, Bruno’s Magpies was born.
      Most read in Football
      BETTING SPECIAL – BEST NO DEPOSIT CASINO OFFERS
      Perry told the Daily Star: “At the start we had a group of good, technical players.
      “We had good footballers, but the problem was that we were all overweight and all big drinkers. Our recruitment was basically through my family’s bar.
      “The first full training session we had was on a beach. Me and Mick were trying to gauge players’ football ability playing on a beach.
      “You had boys who hadn’t kicked a ball in four years twisting their ankles and pulling their hamstrings!”
      The club has managed to qualify for the Europa Conference League twiceCredit: https://twitter.com/BrunosMagpies/photo
      The club’s first-ever season was in Gibraltar’s second division, but little did Perry know the country had successfully applied to join Uefa.
      The result of this meant that clubs from the top division could qualify to play among Europe’s elite at their home ground – Victoria Stadium, which also houses every other Gibraltarian team.
      Bruno’s Magpies entered into the top tier when the two divisions combined to give Gibraltar one senior league.
      The club played in the Conference League last year but were knocked out by Northern Irish outfit Crusaders 4-3 on aggregate in the first qualifying round.
      The team will face Dundalk in the first qualifying roundCredit: https://twitter.com/BrunosMagpies/photo
      However, they have the chance to beat that this year as they are once again in the competition after finishing third last season.
      The club have a qualifying clash against Irish Premier Division side Dundalk, who faced Arsenal in the Europa League in 2020.
      Perry puts much of Bruno’s Magpies success down to Jansen Dalli, the club’s director of football since 2019.
      He has been able to attract the likes of former Birmingham City forward Jack Storer and ex-Real Betis midfielder Carlos Garcia.
      Former Birmingham City ace Jack Storer plays for the clubCredit: PA:Empics Sport
      Although Dalli has insisted it is hard due to the inconsistency of competition in the league.
      He said: “I call it the Mickey Mouse League. It can be very professional against one team, but then you’ll play someone else and it can be very amateur.
      “One day it’s like you’re playing against Wrexham and tomorrow you’re playing against a team in the seventh tier.”
      The club is currently managed by Alfonso Cortijo, who is back for a second spell.
      Read More on The Sun
      He used to play for LaLiga sides Cadiz, Rayo Vallecano and Sevilla as well as being team-mates with Deigo Maradona.
      Bruno’s Magpies also recently signed seventh Tier Hornchurch’s Liam Nash on loan for the European ties. More

    • 200 Shares149 Views

      in Soccer

      West Ham fans BANNED from Europa League after leaving Fiorentina player bloodied with missile in final

      by

      WEST HAM fans have been banned from the club’s first Europa League away game next term after the missile throwing which marred their Conference League triumph.Hammers players pleaded with supporters to calm down following the first half incident in the match in Prague.
      Cristiano Biraghi had his head cut open when he was struck by two hard plastic beer cupsCredit: Rex
      Blood is seen coming from the injury sustainedCredit: Reuters
      Fiorentina defender Cristiano Biraghi had his head cut open when he was struck by two hard plastic beer cups while he was also hit by a disposable vape.
      UEFA announced a throw into the incident the day after the final.
      And European football’s governing body has hit the Hammers hard with a fine as well as the travel ban.
      Uefa announced: “The control and disciplinary body decided to ban West Ham United FC from selling tickets to away supporters for its next two Uefa competition matches.
      READ MORE IN football
      “The second of which being suspended for a probationary period of two years as from the date of this decision, for throwing of objects.”
      West Ham were fined £43,000 for the incident, plus a further £6,900 for the invasion of the pitch by virtually the entire bench including David Moyes as they celebrated Jarrod Bowen’s late winner.
      The Londoners face heading into the season without captain Declan Rice, who is linked with Arsenal and Manchester City.
      But manager David Moyes appeared to suggest he will continue with the club, having led them to silverware for the first time since 1980.
      Most read in Football
      BETTING SPECIAL – BEST SPORTS BETTING APPS IN THE UK
      He said: “I hope we can continue to make progress.
      “I think we have done over the last two or three years and last night was progress because we won a trophy. It was massive for us to win a trophy.
      “It’s very hard to compete at the top end every season but all you can do is try your best every season and that’s what we do – and next season that’s what we’ll do.”
      Declan Rice with West Ham manager David MoyesCredit: Getty More