“I have to be honest – I don’t even know what the competition is,” admitted Brendan Rodgers after his Leicester City side dropped down from the Europa League into the Europa Conference League. While some took the Northern Irishman’s comments as a sign of ignorance, he could be somewhat forgiven – this is, after all, the inaugural season of the new third tier European tournament.
The Europa Conference League was introduced by UEFA for the 2021/22 season to add another layer to continental competition in Europe. Sitting below the Champions League and the Europa League, the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Roma, Feyenoord, Marseille and Rodgers’ Leicester City, among others, have all been involved.
Rodgers eventually came round to the idea of the Europa Conference League, with Leicester making the semi-finals, but his remarks spoke to a wider issue with the competition. What are its core principles? What does it represent? What is the purpose of a competition that sits two rungs short of the top of the European soccer ladder?
For years, the Europa League struggled for relevance until it was decided that the winners would gain automatic entry into the Champions League. This might have diminished the Europa League as a competition in its own right, but it gave participating teams extra motivation to target going as far as possible.
UEFA has attempted to replicate this model by offering Europa League qualification to the winners of the Europa Conference League, but is that really a strong enough guiding light for the competition? Keep in mind that many of the participating teams in the Europa Conference League are only there because they either fell in Europa League qualification or dropped down after the group stage.
It could be argued that the magic of the Europa Conference League can be found in the clubs that would have otherwise missed out on continental soccer. To them, a third tier competition is something new and exciting, but how much neutral interest is there in watching sides such as Lincoln Red Imps, FC Mura and Flora, all of whom played in this season’s group stage?
A cynic might claim the introduction of a third tier continental competition was designed to strengthen UEFA’s position in the fight against the European Club Association (ECA) who want to give more power to the biggest clubs. It was this fight that ultimately led to the ill-fated European Super League proposal last year.
By offering to pull more clubs up into continental competition, UEFA broadened its support base. If something like the European Super League threatens to change the landscape of European soccer again, the governing body can now count on more clubs making their case for them. The Europa Conference League has helped with this.
It’s a similar ploy to the one used by both Sepp Blatter and Gianni Infantino as FIFA president. Both men expanded the World Cup, not to improve the quality of the competition, but in part to strengthen their grip on the presidency. They recognised the true power wasn’t in appealing to the large associations, but to the smaller ones. Everyone has the same vote, after all.
Critics of the Europa Conference League may have to accept the competition will never be for them. It will never challenge the Champions League or even the Europa League for eyeballs, but it was never meant to. The Europa Conference League broadened the continental soccer horizon for others to catch a glimpse of the sun.
Confusing branding hasn’t helped the new competition find relevancy. UEFA claims the Europa Conference League is somehow attached to the Europa League with the two competitions sharing the same anthem and two very similar trophies. The title itself – Europa Conference League – is convoluted. Nor does it roll off the tongue.
Scheduling has also been an issue. The Champions League has Tuesday and Wednesdays while the Europa League has Thursdays. There is no room in the schedule for the Europa Conference League to have its own day of the week and so matches are played on Thursdays at the same time as Europa League matches. They can sometimes feel like an afterthought.
Nonetheless, the Europa Conference League at least serves some purpose in the European soccer eco-system. It might not be a European Super League, but it exists largely to stop that from ever becoming a reality. It exists to bring more under the umbrella. And for fans that are still returning to the joy of watching soccer in person after the pandemic kept them away, it’s a fresh opportunity to feel the palpable energy of the stadium during a European clash. If Rodgers can be won over by the allure of lifting a continental cup, surely others can be too.
