The world dangerous as 70 years ago, the Champions League increasingly open
This year Finale Champions League in Munich is the right culmination of the spectacle, as it is for the jubilee, 70. The competition season that became The largest annual sports festival in the world. Inter and PSG are also the right finalists and candidates for the most numerous club laurel in Europe. The first represents the classic superpower and the live legend of the Champions League, the second offers the most beautiful example, that football cannot succeed overnight and (only) with money.
When the Parisians jumped football Mont Blanc with megalomaniacal expensive global celebrities, they did not work out. They are reaping fans this year mainly with a collective gamein which no one really stands out. Whoever leaves Bavaria as a winner will become deserved, in the Champions League they play the best football players in the world.
USA, China and Taiwan
It was not always the case. The inaugural season of the then European Cup was numbered by 16 clubs from just as many national federations, but not everyone wanted to play in the competition or were not allowed. The then leadership of the English Football League banned its clubs under the umbrella Uefa.
There is a well -known statement from that period that illustrates the attitude of English football authorities to the national championship. Alan Hardaker, then Secretary of the English League, stated in July 1955 after meeting: « The Committee believes that the European Cup is a ‘kind of joke’ and ‘at best a nine -day miracle’. We made the decision not to participate in Chelsea within fifteen minutes. «
Jernej Suhadolnik. Photo: Blaž Samec
According to the committee, participation in the European Cup would threaten domestic competitions and overload the players. As a result, Chelsea was banned from appearing in the first European Cup, although the Londoners accepted the invitation and had already set a competitor (Sweden Djurgårdens IF).
The story also has a fatal sequel. After Manchester United, after a few years later, despite the threat of the leadership of the league, he accepted the UEFA invitation, he played with Red Star in February 1958. The leadership of the league threatened to take away points if he had not returned to England immediately after the match, but due to technical restrictions, the plane had to stop in Munich. Despite the two unsuccessful take -offs and strong snowfall, the pilot was « forced » to head towards Manchester, but the plane landed in one of the houses at the airport, a resounding tragedy required 23 lives.
It’s just about 70 years later. The Champions League, as the gala dance has been called since 1992, is the most desirable football competition in the world, and the English have also changed their minds. When some of the richest clubs (read: their American owners) tried to leave Uefa four years ago, they were not only threatened by the leadership of the Premier League, but also the political summit of the UK.
The year 1955 has therefore been history due to numerous groundbreaking and various fatal events that – how interesting – are still in a fearsome living today. The last Soviet forces left Austria, which had to sign before Austrian State TreatyAnd the Americans used to use Taiwan in front of China and help nationalist Kuomintang escape to the island from the Communists.
Whoever leaves Bavaria as a winner will become deserved, in the Champions League they play the best football players in the world. Photo: Jennifer Lorenzini/Reuters
The Champions League and the Guinness Book of Records were also born, which in recent years has been diligently filled by the record numbers of UEFA parade product. The Champions League grows by the exponential function curve, according to the criteria for visiting the stadiums, the viewership of the TV races and the attractiveness for sponsors. The European Football Federation will soon raise more than five billion euros a year.
Next to 51 UEFE members
Unfortunately, some things are similar to 70 years ago, but this is not the case with the Champions League. The new model of club competitions in Europe is also historically inclusive. In the 2024/25 season, the smell of one of the Uefa’s leagues were also met by clubs from Wales and Northern Ireland, ie from 50 and 51. Even in the 2018/19 season, only clubs from 40 members knew the UEFA League. Last year’s reform of club competitions not only made inclusive football ecosystem on the old continent, but also the summit of the mighty club pyramid – the Champions League. Champions from countries like Slovenia are now provided with five places instead of four, which is 25 percent more than before.
The top of the mighty club pyramid is open. Why should Slovenian fans not hope to return to the Champions League in the next five to six years? Photo: Tadej Regent/Work
For example, Olympia will play against beating rivals in the first two colors (the « hardest » in the first round would be Skendia, in the second stands up only Rijeka), in the third one can expect someone of the Slovan/Maccabi/Ferencvaros, in the last Sit anyway, no one goes without luck – if, And you can redeem it. So why should Slovenian fans not hope to return to the Champions League in the next five to six years?
