2012/13 UEFA Europa League: Semifinal draw out

The draw for the Semifinals for the 2012/13 UEFA Europa League was carried out yesterday in Nyon, Switzerland. And there are some mouth watering clashes coming.

Reigning UEFA Champions League champions FC Chelsea face Swiss giants FC Basel, who have had some success against English sides in the last couple of years, be it Manchester United last season in the Champions League or Tottenham Hotspur in the last round of the Europa League.

In the other tie Turkish side Fenerbahce Istanbul take on Benfica Lisboa from Portugal to determine the other finalist.

The semifinal matches will be played on April 25 and May 2 with the final on May 15 at the Amsterdam Arena in the Netherlands.


Semifinals
Fenerbahçe SK - SL Benfica Lisboa
FC Basel 1893 - Chelsea FC

2012/13 UEFA Europa League: Quarterfinal draw out

The draw for the Quarterfinals for the 2012/13 UEFA Europa League was carried out yesterday in Nyon, Switzerland. And there are some mouth watering clashes coming.

There are some interesting match-ups in the quarterfinals with three English Premier League clubs involved. The top pick is surely between Chelsea FC and Russian side Rubin Kazan with other interesting ties between Tottenham Hotspur FC - FC Basel 1893, Fenerbahçe SK - SS Lazio Roma and SL Benfica Lisboa - Newcastle United FC.

The quarterfinal matches will be played on April 4 and 11, while the semifinal games are scheduled to take place on April 25 and May 2 with the final on May 15 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.


Quarterfinals
Chelsea FC - FC Rubin Kazan
Tottenham Hotspur FC - FC Basel 1893
Fenerbahçe SK - SS Lazio Roma
SL Benfica Lisboa - Newcastle United FC

UEFA Europa League: Playoffs draw out

The draw for the final round of qualifiers for the 2012/13 UEFA Europa League was carried out earlier today in Nyon, Switzerland. There are some well known sides who are fighting to survive to play in continental competitions this season.

Last season finalists Athletic Bilbao from Spain face Finnish side HJK Helsinki, while former champions Liverpool FC take on another British team in Heart of Midlothian FC and while FC Vaslui host 2010 UEFA Champions League winners Inter Milan.

The UEFA Europa League qualifiers for the group stage will be played on August 23 and 30 with the group stage to be drawn on August 31 in Monaco.


UEFA Europa League - Play-off Round

FC Anzhi Makhachkala (RUSSIA) - AZ Alkmaar (NETHERLANDS)
APOEL FC (CYPRUS) - Neftçi PFK (AZERBAIJAN)
Atromitos FC (GREECE) - Newcastle United FC (ENGLAND)
Tromsø IL (NORWAY) - FK Partizan (SERBIA)
FC Vaslui (ROMANIA) - FC Internazionale Milano (ITALY)

Heart of Midlothian FC (SCOTLAND) - Liverpool FC (ENGLAND)
Athletic Club Bilbao (SPAIN) - HJK Helsinki (FINLAND)
CS Marítimo (PORTUGAL) - *FC Dila Gori (GEORGIA) or Anorthosis Famagusta (CYPRUS)
Molde FK (NORWAY) - sc Heerenveen (NETHERLANDS)
Debreceni VSC (HUNGARY) - Club Brugge KV (BELGIUM)

FC Sheriff (MOLDOVA) - Olympique de Marseille (FRANCE)
Trabzonspor AS (TURKEY) - Videoton FC (HUNGARY)
FC Midtjylland (DENMARK) - BSC Young Boys Bern (SWITZERLAND)
WKS Slask Wroclaw (POLAND) - Hannover 96 (GERMANY)
FC Dinamo Bucuresti (ROMANIA) - FC Metalist Kharkiv (UKRAINE)

AC Horsens (DENMARK) - Sporting Clube de Portugal (PORTUGAL)
Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC (ISRAEL) - F91 Dudelange (LUXEMBOURG)
Feyenoord (NETHERLANDS) - AC Sparta Praha (CZECH REPUBLIC)
Motherwell FC (SCOTLAND) - Levante UD (SPAIN)
FK Crvena zvezda (SERBIA) - FC Girondins de Bordeaux (FRANCE)

KSC Lokeren OV (BELGIUM) - FC Viktoria Plzen (CZECH REPUBLIC)
S.S. Lazio (ITALY) - ND Mura 05 (SLOVENIA)
AIK Solna (SWEDEN) - PFC CSKA Moskva (RUSSIA)
Legia Warszawa (POLAND) - Rosenborg Trondheim BK (NORWAY)
Bursaspor (TURKEY) - FC Twente Enschede (NETHERLANDS)

FC Steaua Bucuresti (ROMANIA) - FK Ekranas (LITHUANIA)
FC Slovan Liberec (CZECH REPUBLIC) - FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (UKRAINE)
VfB Stuttgart (GERMANY) - FC Dinamo Moskva (RUSSIA)
PAOK FC (GREECE) - SK Rapid Wien (AUSTRIA)
FC Luzern (SWITZERLAND) - KRC Genk (BELGIUM)
FK Zeta (MONTENEGRO) - PSV Eindhoven (NETHERLANDS)

*Subject to the CDB decision

FC Schalke's goalkeeper injury jinx

German Bundesliga side FC Schalke 04 are facing a rare goalkeeper injury jinx this season with Timo Hildebrand being their third goalkeeper to be hit by a serious injury. Hildebrand picked-up an elbow injury while conceding the first goal in his clubs 2-4 Europa League defeat against Athletic Bilbao and had to be substituted at half-time.

How long 32 year old Hildebrand will have to sit out is not unknown, but 35 year old Mathias Schober is now the fourth goalkeeper to be in action for the royal blues with one of the Schalke 04 II keepers set to sit on the bench in Sunday's match against Hoffenheim.

Last summer Manuel Neuer had left Schalke with 23 year old Ralf Fährmann, who returned to S04 from Eintracht Frankfurt, being made the clubs new number one. But Fährmann would suffer a crucial ligament injury bringing in 21 year old Lars Unnerstall who himself would suffer a shoulder injury (acromioclavicular blast) and then on Thursday goalkeeper number three Timo Hildebrand followed with the elbow injury.

While the return of Fährmann and Hildebrand is unknown, Unnerstall has returned to first team training and might be back in action in 10 to 14 days which would ease the goalkeeping pressure on the club.

UEFA Europa League: Quarterfinal draw out

The draw for the Quarterfinals for the 2011/12 UEFA Europa League was carried out earlier today in Nyon, Switzerland. And there are some mouth watering clashes coming.

There are some interesting match-ups in the quarterfinals with two Spanish-German clashes - Schalke 04 vs Athletic Bilbao and Atletico Madrid vs Hannover 96, while the third Spanish team left in the competition will face another Dutch side in AZ Alkmaar after having beaten PSV Eindhoven in the last round. The fourth encounter will see Portuguese side Sporting Lisboa take on Metalist Kharkiv from the Ukraine.

The quarterfinal matches will be played on March 29 and April 5, while the semifinal games are scheduled to take place on April 19 and 26 with the final on May 9 in Bucharest, Romania.


The Fixtures

Quarterfinals
AZ Alkmaar - FC Valencia
FC Schalke 04 - Athletic Bilbao
Sporting Lisboa - Metalist Kharkiv
Atletico Madrid - Hannover 96

Semifinals
Atletico Madrid/Hannover 96 - AZ Alkmaar/FC Valencia
Sporting Lisboa/Metalist Kharkiv - FC Schalke 04/Athletic Bilbao

2011/12 UEFA Europa League: Round of 32/16 draw out

The draw for the Round of 32 and pre-quarterfinals (Round of 16) for the 2011/12 UEFA Europa League was carried out yesterday in Nyon, Switzerland. And there are some mouth watering clashes coming early next year.

Defending champions FC Porto take on English Premier League leaders Manchester City, while their city rivals Manchester United face Ajax Amsterdam. The other English entrant left Stoke City have to take on the mighty FC Valencia, while Lazio Roma have been paired with Atletico Madrid. In a low country derby AZ Alkmaar take on Belgian giants RSC Anderlecht.

The Round of 32 matches will be played on February 16 and 23, while the Round of 16 games are scheduled to take place on March 8 and 15.


The Fixtures

Round of 32
FC Porto - Manchester City
AFC Ajax Amsterdam - Manchester United
FC Lokomotiv Moscow - Athletic Bilbao
RedBulls Salzburg - Metalist Kharkiv
Stoke City - FC Valencia
Rubin Kasan - Olympiacos Piräus
AZ Alkmaar - RSC Anderlecht
SS Lazio Roma - Atletico Madrid
Steaua Bucharest - FC Twente Enschede
Viktoria Plzen - FC Schalke 04
Wisla Krakau - Standard Liege
Sporting Braga - Besiktas Istanbul
Udinese Calcio - PAOK Saloniki
Trabzonspor AS - PSV Eindhoven
Hannover 96 - FC Brugge
Legia Warsaw - Sporting Lisboa

Round of 16
Salzburg/Metalist - Rubin/Olympiacos
Legia/Sporting - Porto/Manchester City
Steaua/Twente - Plzen/Schalke
Wisla/Standard - Hannover/Club Brugge
Stoke/Valencia - Trabzonspor/PSV
AZ/Anderlecht - Udinese/PAOK
Lazio/Atlético - Braga/Besiktas
Ajax/Manchester United - Lokomotiv/Athletic

VIDEO: Lars Stindl Dream Goal in Europa League

Hannover 96s Lars Stindl scored a gem of a goal for his club last Thursday in the UEFA Europa League against FC Copenhagen, it was the 2-1 winner. But once more, the technical ability Stindl shows while scoring the goal was simply brilliant, which you rare see in football.

Here the video clip of that great goal

UEFA renew rights deal with Ten Sports

Ten Sports and UEFA have renewed their contract for the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League from 2012 to 2015. This means that Ten Sports and its sister channel Ten Action+ will broadcast matches live, deferred and as capsules of Europe's premier club competitions.

European football governing body UEFA said in a statement, "The media rights sales process is successfully continuing in Asia, reflecting the growing interest for UEFA's club football competitions in the region. UEFA is happy to announce these deals as they will enable football fans throughout the respective territories to enjoy increased levels of match choice and coverage of both the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League."

UEFA not only sold the rights for south Asia, but also in Malaysia, Brunei and Myanmar to ensure continued coverage of its flagship club competitions. Ten Sports channel competitors ESPN-Star Sports and Neo Sports had also bid for the rights, which have become very lucrative in India though match kick-off timings in Europe are often well past midnight.

Ten Sports channels (Ten Sports & Zee Sports in the past, now Ten Sports & Ten Action+) have been airing the top club football from UEFA for a couple of years and showcase more than 55 UEFA Champions League and 60 Europa League matches from September to May every year. Ten Sports offers the most comprehensive coverage of the UEFA Champions League & UEFA Europa League in India, with a choice of live matches and a full round up of all the match day action throughout the week.

The rights are not only for television but across all broadcast platforms and besides India Ten Sports channels will be showing the matches across south Asia in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

Ten Sports bag I-League rights, TenAction+ to show matches

The All India Football Federation and their marketing partners IMG-Reliance have signed a deal for the 2011/12 season of the I-League with Ten Sports for coverage on their Ten Action+ channel. This new deal ensures national coverage after the AIFF/IMG-Reliance had signed a deal for regional coverage in West Bengal and Assam.

As per the contract Ten Action+ will be broadcasting 75 of the 182 matches from the upcoming I-League live with the federation, their marketing partners and tv rights holders looking to show matches over weekends and at suitable times for the viewers.

A release from IMG-Reliance said, "We are happy to confirm Ten Sports as the national broadcaster for the 2011-12 season of I-League as part of our ongoing efforts to develop the following of the sport in India. We are committed to pursuing various initiatives as part of our strategic plan to enhance the level of competition as also harness the domestic football talent in the country. Ten Sports shares our vision for the sport in India and we are delighted to partner with them in bringing football into the homes of fans across the nation."

Ten Action+, formerly Zee Sports, is India's only football centric channel in the stable of Ten Sports which is owner by the Zee Group. This marks an interesting return of the I-League rights to the Zee Group, who had bought the combined marketing and television rights from the AIFF in 2005, but with coverage and marketing not up to the necessary standard the contract had been cancelled in 2010 with IMG-Reliance taking over from them.

Ten Sports CEO Atul Pande said, "We are delighted to be associated with IMG Reliance, to telecast the I-League, India’s premier’s football tournament. We are committed to bringing the best sports action to our viewers, and this new agreement with the IMG Reliance reaffirms our commitment to grow the sports business and consolidate our position as the leading sports broadcaster. Zee and Ten have been supporters of Indian football for many years and we continue committed to our vision of enhancing and adding value to the sport."

AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das added, "Ten Action+ is a niche football channel and I am sure the visibility and on air promotional activities of the channel will go a long way in enhancing the profile of the I-League. Our partners IMG Reliance deserve all credit for forging this significant partnership."

Earlier a regional broadcast partner in Brand Value Communications Limited, the owners of channels News Time Bangla and News Time Assam, had been announced. Here the write-up about it: I-League: Regional Broadcast partner announced .

Villas-Boas: Don't allow 3rd place UCL teams to play Europa League

The new FC Chelsea manager André Villas-Boas has made an interesting observation and brought-up a controversial idea on the issue of teams finishing third in the UEFA Champions League group stage and from there moving on into the knockout stages of the UEFA Europa League.

"The teams dropping from Champions League to the Europa League shouldn't be the teams that qualify third in the group," said Villas-Boas.

And Villas-Boas had an idea on what to rather consider by saying, "It should be the teams that go on to the last 16 of the Champions League. Because it looks like you are promoting the unsuccessful teams in the group phase."

The UEFA Champions League is the biggest club football competition in the world, it features the biggest clubs in world football and sometimes they do get eliminated early in the tournament not able to reach the quarterfinals, semifinals or final.

The Europa League meanwhile is set to enter its third season with the competition still to build on its reputation though UEFA say it has already build a better brand value then the old UEFA Cup. But if instead of the third place finishers of the Champions League group stage, you rather get the eight losers from the pre-quarterfinals (Round of 16) into the competition then its value surely would go further as some of the biggest names in Europe could feature from then on in the Europa League.

Surely an idea which UEFA should look into and maybe consider...

Could FC Sion land UEFA & its competitions in trouble?

When Belgian footballer Mark Bosman won his case in the mid-1990s it changed the landscape of players contracts within Europe forever, then European Union legislations of free movement of employees was more important then club ownership of their players.

Could something similar happen with the case of Swiss club FC Sion against UEFA on their transfer embargo ruling?

In the final round qualifiers for this seasons UEFA Europa League FC Sion beat Scottish giants FC Celtic Glasgow 3-1 on aggregate to qualify for the group stage. But due to the transfer embargo imposed on Sion three years ago the club fielded players who were ineligible. So the European football governing body expelled Sion and allowed Celtic to stay in the competition.

Sion had earlier filed a case in a Swiss civil court and the court awarded the case in Sion's favour with the Swiss Football Association thereafter allowing Sion to field the concerned players in the local Swiss league. Why? The Swiss FA didn't want to take on its local courts.

As expected Sion has lodged an appeal against their expulsion from the Europa League with UEFA's Appeals Committee to meet next Tuesday, two days before the first round of matches in the Europa League. And even if Sion lose their appeal they could turn to the Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport if UEFA stand by their original decision.

And if by any chance CAS reinstate Sion into the competition after the group stage has started, then it could mean chaos for UEFA and its competition; while also a route for other clubs to take at this of transfer embargo's using the case as a template.

As one understands a lot is at stake for UEFA and European football.

Schalke's Europa League match shifted to Cluj

Last year UEFA Champions League semifinalists FC Schalke 04 will have to play their first UEFA Europa League match against Steaua Bucharest in Cluj and not in the Romanian capital as the grass pitch in the newly opened National Stadium was left totally damaged following Tuesday's Euro2012 qualifier between Romania and France.

The grass pitch was newly laid and due to the match did not have the chance to get properly match ready. European football governing body UEFA had two options for the game, 1. move to game to Cluj or 2. delay the match by a week and play on September 21 in Bucharest, then until then a new grass pitch would have been brought in from the Netherlands and rolled out at the venue.

UEFA decided to go with the first option and not delay the match by a week as requested by Steaua Bucharest as they miss out on the home advantage in the game, but even Schalke was willing to wait for a week as they understood the logistical nightmare waiting for both sides due to the change of host city.

Interestingly the new National Stadium in Bucharest will be the hosts of the final of the 2011/12 UEFA Europa League finals on May 9, 2012. Until then the Romanians have enough time to sort out their pitch problems.

UEFA Europa League: Group Stage draw is out

The draw for the 2011/12 Europa League group stage was held yesterday at the Grimaldi Forum in Monte Carlo, Monaco. And the 48 teams who qualified for the group stages have been divided into 12 groups of four teams each.



The Europa League enters its third season with the second tier of European club competition looking to further enhance its standing. After Atletico Madrid being winners in 2010, last season FC Porto won the Europa League title against local Portuguese opposition in SC Braga.



This season the final of the 2011/12 UEFA Europa League will be played in the Romanian capital Bucharest in May 2012. A number of big clubs will play in the competition after missing out on the UEFA Champions League.



The toughest of all groups is Group I which includes Atletico Madrid (Spain), Udinese Calcio (Italy), Stade Rennes (France) and FC Sion (Switzerland), but FC Sion could be replaced by Scottish giants Celtic Glasgow then the Swiss side is said to have used an ineligible player. UEFA is investigating the case.





The Groups



Group A: Tottenham Hotspurs (England), Rubin Kazan (Russia), PAOK Saloniki (Greece), Shamrock Rovers (Ireland)



Group B: FC Copenhagen (Denmark), Standard Liege (Belgium), Hannover 96 (Germany), Worskla Poltawa (Ukraine)



Group C: PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands), Hapoel Tel Aviv (Israel), Rapid Bucharest (Romania), Legia Warsaw (Poland)



Group D: Sporting Clube de Lisbon (Portugal), Lazio Roma (Italy), FC Zurich (Switzerland), FC Vaslui (Romania)



Group E: Dynamo Kiev (Ukraine), Besiktas Istanbul (Turkey), Stoke City (England), Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel)



Group F: FC Paris Saint-Germain (France), Athletic Bilbao (Spain), Red Bull Salzburg (Austria), SK Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia)



Group G: AZ Alkmaar (Netherlands), Metalist Charkiw (Ukraine), FK Austria Wien (Austria), Malmö FF (Sweden)



Group H: SC Braga (Portugal), FC Brugge (Belgium), Birmingham City (England), NK Maribor (Slovenia)



Group I: Atletico Madrid (Spain), Udinese Calcio (Italy), Stade Rennes (France), FC Sion (Switzerland)



Group J: FC Schalke 04 (Germany), Steaua Bucharest (Romania), Maccabi Haifa (Israel), AEK Larnaka (Cyprus)



Group K: FC Twente Enschede (Netherlands), FC Fulham (England), Odense BK (Denmark), Wisla Krakau (Poland)



Group L: RSC Anderlecht (Belgium), AEK Athen (Greece), Locomotive Moscow (Russia), SK Sturm Graz (Austria)

Ten Sports retain UEFA club football rights for India!

UEFA have confirmed that that the Taj TV/Essel Group owned Ten Sports channels will continue to show continental European club football on their channels from 2012 to 2015. The rights for three seasons of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League are said to have been sold by UEFA for 3,5 Million US-Dollars, nearly a three fold increase from the last cycle.

Ten Sports channel competitors ESPN-Star Sports and Neo Sports had also bid for the rights, which have become very lucrative in India though match kick-off timings in Europe are often well past midnight.

Ten Sports CEO Atul Pande said, "We are committed to bringing the best sports action to our viewers, and with this long-term renewal of the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League we have reinforced our leadership further."

"With the best football line up on Ten Channels it reaffirms the belief of our viewers and our associates in us. We are committed to bringing the best football action to our viewers and we will continue delivering to our promise," Mr. Pande added.

Ten Sports channels (Ten Sports & Zee Sports in the past, now Ten Sports & Ten Action+) have been airing the top club football from UEFA for a couple of years and showcase more than 55 UEFA Champions League and 60 Europa League matches from September to May every year. Ten Sports offers the most comprehensive coverage of the UEFA Champions League & UEFA Europa League in India, with a choice of live matches and a full round up of all the match day action throughout the week.

The rights are not only for television but across all broadcast platforms and besides India Ten Sports channels will be showing the matches across south Asia in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

Europa League: The Groups are out, tough one's for favourites

The draw for the 2010/11 Europa League group stage was held earlier today at the Grimaldi Forum in Monte Carlo, Monaco. And the 48 teams who qualified for the group stages have been divided into 12 groups of four teams each.

Defending champions Atletico Madrid from Spain have been drawn in an interesting Group B along with German side Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Norway's Rosenborg Trondheim and Aris Thessaloniki from Greece.

But the toughest groups of all is Group A where multiple European champions Juventus Turino from Italy take on big spending English Premier League side Manchester City, Austrian champions Red Bull Salzburg and the Polish champions Lech Posnan.

Also getting a tough draw are troubled FC Liverpool who are in Group K along with Romanian giants Steaua Bucharest, Italy's SSC Napoli and FC Utrecht of the Netherlands. While in another interesting Group J Spaniards FC Sevilla take on FC Paris St Germain from France, Germany's Borussia Dortmund and newcomers Karpaty Lviv from the Ukraine.


The Groups

Group A: Juventus Turino (Italy), Manchester City (England), Red Bull Salzburg (Austria), Lech Posnan (Poland)

Group B: Atletico Madrid (Spain), Bayer 04 Leverkusen (Germany), Rosenborg Trondheim (Norway), Aris Thessaloniki (Greece)

Group C: Sporting Lisbon (Portugal), OSC Lille (France), Levski Sofia (Bulgaria), KAA Gent (Belgium)

Group D: FC Villarreal (Spain), Club Brugge (Belgium), FC Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia), PAOK Saloniki (Greece)

Group E: AZ Alkmaar (Netherlands), Dynamo Kiev (Ukraine), BATE Borisov (Belarus), FC Sheriff Tiraspol (Moldova)

Group F: CSKA Moscow (Russia), US Palermo (Italy), Sparta Prague (Czech Republic), FC Lausanne-Sport (Switzerland)

Group G: Zenit St Peterburg (Russia), RSC Anderlecht (Belgium), AEK Athens (Greece), Hadjuk Split (Croatia)

Group H: VfB Stuttgart (Germany), FC Getafe (Spain), Odense BK (Denmark), FC Young Boys Bern (Switzerland)

Group I: PSV Eindhoven (Netherlands), Sampdoria Genoa (Italy), FC Metalist Kharkiv (Ukraine), VSC Debreceni (Hungary)

Group J: FC Sevilla (Spain), FC Paris St Germain (France), Borussia Dortmund (Germany), Karpaty Lviv (Ukraine)

Group K: FC Liverpool (England), FC Steaua Bucharest (Romania), SSC Napoli (Italy), FC Utrecht (Netherlands)

Group L: FC Porto (Portugal), Besiktas Istanbul (Turkey), CSKA Sofia (Bulgaria), FC Rapid Vienna (Austria)

No Europa League for Mallorca, possible implications for other clubs

European football governing body UEFA it finally going tough on clubs who are facing financial problems and aren't willing to change their ways. UEFA has barred Spanish La Liga side RCD Mallorca from participating in its competitions in the upcoming 2010/11 season. The decision was taken by UEFA's Control and Disciplinary Body at its meeting in Nyon on July 22.

A statement by UEFA's Control and Disciplinary Body said: "On the basis of all expert reviews which have been undertaken, the Control and Disciplinary Body ruled that the club does not fulfil the necessary admission criteria (Article 2.07 of the Regulations of the UEFA Europa League), as the licence of the club was not granted in accordance with the UEFA Club Licensing Regulations, 2008 edition, and the club has not fulfilled its obligations as defined in these regulations."

This tough decision did take some by surprise and also means that RCD Mallorca would be replaced by FC Villareal in the Europa League as a Spanish representative as they finished seventh in last season La Liga behind then island club.

A statement on Mallorca's official website read: "UEFA's decision is quite surprising in substance and form. The club will consider legal steps to follow upon receipt of the resolution in its entirety. RCD Mallorca deeply regrets the disappointment that UEFA's decision (which is unprecedented and not understandable) will cause our fans."

In the meanwhile RCD Mallorca have lodged an appeal with UEFA against the UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body's decision last week whereby the Spanish club are not admitted to the UEFA club competitions for the 2010/11 season. The date of the appeal hearing will be announced by UEFA in due course. One will then see if UEFA stick to their guns or takes a step back and leave it with a warning.


And what does this step mean for other European club sides???

Take this as a real warning as regulations will get tougher in the coming years and UEFA will more and more scrutinize the balance sheets of clubs qualifying to participate in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.
It would be interesting to see financially troubled clubs from England, Spain and Italy barred from European competitions due to their balance sheets in the minus and their debts in 100's of Millions. An interesting case would have been FC Portsmouth if they had won the FA Cup last season though they went down from the Premiership and went into administration. They would have also been debarred from taking part in the Europa League.

So can you e.g. think about a UEFA Champions League without an FC Barcelona or a Manchester United? Well unlikely for not qualifying through their respective leagues, but rather due to the financial problems these biggies of world football currently face. Barca are just looking for a 150 Million Euro loan, while Man U's owners the Glazers have financed their buy of the Red Devils with hefty loans. An unlikely scenario, but if UEFA goes by their financial rules then these clubs could follow Mallorca in the future. And that wouldn't be good for football and its fans, but we also don't want clubs to end up being in a situation like Portsmouth.

Remembering Fulham FC

English Premier League club Fulham FC will face Spanish La Liga side Atletico Madrid in the final of the UEFA Europa League in the HSH-Arena in Hamburg tomorrow night.

And this fact makes me a little sentimental as I fondly remember July 22, 2000; the day India were guests of Fulham FC at their home in Craven Cottage.

It was a nice English Saturday afternoon in southwest London with over 5,000 fans present.

The Indian national football team was playing on English soil after 52 long years. The last time India played in England was in the 1948 Olympics.


Aspiring Fulham

The Fulham of summer 2000 was a totally different one then today.

In those days Fulham were planning to get into the Premier League with Craven Cottage being more of an old cottage then a football stadium.

French Coach Jean Tigana had put together a squad of talented youngsters and experienced players, who would get the club promoted at the end of the season. And their season opened against our India.


Our Future had started

It was the year after Baichung Bhutia had signed for Bury FC and I had expectations like many others that Indian football was on the verge of taking off. And this exposure would be part of this process.

We all thought Baichung would make the breakthrough the coming season as he was much more mature then a year earlier when he left India. Further he would open the door to other players to follow. We didn't know then that it would take a decade more before the next player would venture out of India.

Looking at those days in July 2000 we were just naive. Football like everything else in life isn't a one way street which just goes up, but has ups and downs. Sometimes sadly more downs then ups...


The match

Fulham won the game 2-0 through two goals from German striker Karl-Heinz Riedle. India had a strong game with the defence and goalkeeper Virender Singh coming a number of times to our teams rescue.

I had the pleasure of talking to Riedle in German after the game. The 1990 World Cup winning striker was waiting for his family when I approached him. I wasn't as experienced as I am today, so was overawed by the situation still I had a nice conversation with Riedle about football as Riedle wanted chat with me!

Riedle didn't know anything about Indian football before the game, but was interested to know more about the game in our country. I gave him some facts and he said Vijayan had impressed him with his technical abilities.


Here the two team line-ups

Fulham: Maik Taylor, Steve Finnan, Andy Melville, Chris Coleman, Rufus Brevett (Wayne Collins, 70), Kevin Betsy (Bjarne Goldbaek, 78), Sean Davis, Lee Clark, John Collins, Karl Heinz Riedle, Lois Boa Morte (Luke Cornwall, 65).

India: Virender Singh, Prabhjot Singh, Mahesh Gawli, Roberto Fernandes, Daljit Singh, Jo Paul Ancheri (Khalid Jamil, 88), Basudeb Mondal (Hardeep Sangha, 46), Jules Alberto (Hardeep Saini, 46), Renedy Singh, I.M. Vijayan, Baichung Bhutia [CAPTAIN].