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The UEFA Europa League trophyThe Europa League (the restructured version of what once used to be the UEFA Cup), in nearly half a decade of existence, has somewhat earned itself the reputation of being the black sheep of European competitions.It gives the clubs an exposure to continental football that many rather fret at and if given the chance many would rather not be involved in the competition as such.In trying to resurrect the problems created by its predecessor, UEFA themselves have created another monster which has the potential to sabotage the seasons of its competitors, a monster which doesn’t seem to be going away very soon.So why is it so? Here are five of the biggest reasons why this competition has become a health hazard for many an established side in some of the strongest leagues in Europe.
#1 Fixture congestion
The Europa League might be lesser in terms of fame and glory, but sometimes it begs to make you think whether it is even more difficult than the Champions League to conquer. A club can be stretched to the brink of its resources while in the Europa League.
The competition fields the potential of increasing the total number of games in a season by 21. A club in the most likely of scenarios will have to come out unscathed in 13 games to win the Champions League.
This huge increase in the number of games can have a huge toll on the team participating in it, jeopardising their commitments to their individual domestic leagues.
The mid-table teams which qualify for this cup don’t have the ample resources to compete in this event on most occasions. With names at the doctor’s table likely to increase after all these excursions, it makes teams not only frown at the event but throttles them in their pursuit of a European spot in their domestic competition as well.
Since its inception in 2009, of the 15 English teams to have participated in the Europa League, 10 have failed to put together a season of European football qualification in the same year.
Only four have been able to renew its allegiance with the competition the next season, while only Manchester City in 2011 with its riches have gone on to qualify for the Champions League that very season.
#2 The Thursday-Sunday conundrum
The competition not only creates a logjam in the calendar, but also gives the sides a great deal of grievance when it comes to resting their players properly.
With Europa League games scheduled for Thursday nights, the teams go into their following domestic league fixtures at the weekend with the hangover of the European game still profoundly extant.
Recent trend has shown that participation in the Europa League results in the demise of two places in the Premier League table on average (excluding Birmingham City, who faced relegation the same season they qualified for the event).
In fact, teams qualifying for the competition drop an average of 2.1 places the following season in the Premier League. Fulham dropped five places after participating in the 2009/10 season, Aston Villa lost three places in 2010/11, while Newcastle dropped a huge 11 places in 2012/13.
#3 The prize money
The prize money on offer is paltry, at least to the clubs playing in the big leagues. The Europa League in fact can only offer as much as one-fifth of what the clubs could take home from the Champions League.
As of last year, a group stage victory would bag you €200,000 as opposed to €1million in the Champions League.
A place in the semi-finals would bag you a mere €1million.
While the purists may frown, the truth is that football these days is just as big a business as it is a sport. The game’s global appeal has helped secure massive finances and investments which have gone up at an exponential rate during the last decade. Increased investment walks hand in hand with increased demands and pressure. Football is no different when it comes to these aspects.
With the measly prize-money on offer in the competition the question begs to be asked. Is it worth the hustle?
The answer is a resounding ‘no’ from most. With Premier League, La Liga and other big leagues providing a much lucrative option, it’s simple common sense to give priority to the domestic competitions instead of spewing all efforts to conquer Europe’s second most coveted prize.
#4 UEFAs dubious policy
If competing amongst themselves was not a task hard enough, the teams qualifying for the Europa League also have to deal with the demoted clubs from the Champions League.
With UEFA allowing clubs finishing third in the Champions League group stages to filter through to the Europa League, it inevitably brings in a sense of mockery altogether towards the competition.
The trophy brings into being UEFA’s mantra of appeasing the European heavyweights. Allowing them to punch well below their weight after fortunes had faded.
In fact, three of the last four editions have seen winners who were in fact Champions League participants when the season began.
So, if you are mid-table side that have eyes glittering with hopes of continental silverware, you can just put those hopes on the back-burner for a while. The big boys will be back in the fray come January.
#5 A dull group stage
Europa League participants from the big leagues across Europe will always be the big draw in the competition for the other lesser known teams. However, the initial format of the competition makes it very difficult for either the giants or the minnows to get really excited about.
A single leg group stage instead of a knock-out results in some of the drabbest months of European football imaginable.
Meanwhile, the remote locations of some of these places make life difficult for the powerhouse teams of that stage.
Last year saw the likes of Tottenham and Sevilla playing minnows like Sheriff Tiraspol, Tromso, Kuban Krasnodar and FC St Gallen in games that are often dead rubbers.
