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UEFA Cup set for rebranding to mirror Champions League


Jimbo
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European soccer's governing body UEFA is considering changing the name of its second tier UEFA Cup competition to the UEFA Europa League.

 

The planned rebranding was revealed by Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, the acting chairman of the new European Clubs Association, whose organisation was presented with the proposal on Monday.

 

'The hope is that a refreshment of the name and brand can help achieve better results than we've seen in the UEFA Cup in the past,' Rummenigge later told a media conference at UEFA's Swiss headquarters.

 

'There has been a general impression that it has become a second-class competition and that we should get back to how it was ten or 15 years ago.'

 

A senior UEFA source confirmed that UEFA's executive committee would vote on the name change when it meets in Bordeaux in September.

 

He said the new name was meant to better reflect the new group stage system being used in the competition from the 2009-10 season, in a direct copy of UEFA's much more successful Champions League competition.

 

UEFA announced in December that it was revamping the UEFA Cup's format, dropping the unpopular five-team groups in which teams play each opponent just once either home or away in favour of a simpler home and away system.

 

From 2009 UEFA will also be marketing the competition centrally, in another lesson learned from the lucrative Champions League, and hopes that the new name will help distinguish it from the previous UEFA Cup format.

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Rather than mimic the Champions league they should revert back to a straight knockout 2-leg cup competition. There are far too many games involved without enough return for entrants to remain competetive.

 

Any UEFA cup qualifier should be pushing for champions league the next year, but if they're good enough to, they're punished with a hectic fixture list that leaves them unable to compete with the richest clubs in their home league.

 

If I were a manager that qualified, I'd turn down entry into the competition as it stands to focus on qualifying for the champions league where the big bucks are. Either that or I'd put out the reserves in the UEFA cup which is basically the Carling cup of Europe.

 

Another option would be to limit entry to the UEFA cup to teams outside of the top 5 european nations and/or include a champions league place for the winner.

 

Giving the fucker a different name will be about as much use as "The Championship".

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Or here's a plan, why don't they make the UEFA cup an actual cup competition for the clubs partaking in the Champions League.

 

:D

 

That's thinking out of the 18 yard box.

Edited by Happy Face
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Rather than mimic the Champions league they should revert back to a straight knockout 2-leg cup competition. There are far too many games involved without enough return for entrants to remain competetive.

 

:D

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Rather than mimic the Champions league they should revert back to a straight knockout 2-leg cup competition. There are far too many games involved without enough return for entrants to remain competetive.

 

:D

 

Totally agree, although Ramos' seville won the Uefa and ran the domestic title close.

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Can't believe how well the point is made by looking at the last few years. each group covers 2 years, first the year they qualified, then the year they took part...

 

(07/08)

Spurs (5th/11th)

Everton (6th/5th)

Bolton (7th/17th)

 

(06/07)

Tottenham (5th/5th)

Blackburn (6th/10th)

West Ham (9th/15th)

 

(05/06)

Bolton(6th/8th)

Boro(7th/14th)

 

(04/05)

Newcastle (5th/14th)

Boro (11th/7th)

 

(03/04)

Liverpool (5th/4th)

Blackburn (6th/15th)

Southampton (8th/12th)

Man City (9th/16th)

 

Only 3 clubs from 14 have actually improved after qualifying for the UEFA cup, and one of those only got in from the bottom half so had much more scope to improve.

Edited by Happy Face
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Instead of playing games, each team pick should a number from 1-49, and then then whoever's number matches the bonus ball on the second saturday of May wins, and is rewarded with a Champions League place and some banoffi pie.

Edited by Offshore Toon
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Rather than mimic the Champions league they should revert back to a straight knockout 2-leg cup competition. There are far too many games involved without enough return for entrants to remain competetive.

 

:o

 

Totally agree, although Ramos' seville won the Uefa and ran the domestic title close.

 

Makes you wonder why he took such a huge step down to join Spurs. :D

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