Change is an integral part of life, including sports, and football is no exception. Although football is a highly conservative sport regarding the rules of play and the structure of national and international competitions, certain changes have occurred in recent years. Specifically, UEFA is the organization implementing most of these changes. One of UEFA’s leadership ideas was the launch of the Conference League, which began in the 2021/22 season and continues to this day. The creator of the league is Aleksander Čeferin, who has been UEFA’s president since 2016. Under his leadership, UEFA has aimed for the “democratization” of European football to enable more clubs from less prominent footballing nations to participate in European competitions. Formally, the main three motives for launching the league were:

1. To create a platform for clubs from countries whose representatives rarely manage to qualify for the group stages of the Champions League or Europa League.
2. To ensure a more equitable distribution of revenue among European clubs, providing smaller clubs with more financial resources.
3. To improve the quality of weaker European leagues.

Benefits

As the Conference League enters its fourth season, with a sufficient time gap for evaluation, its benefits and shortcomings can be assessed. What exactly has the new league brought? Football fans now have an additional competition to watch matches involving various European clubs. These new matches are also new media content that generates revenue. Part of the money from broadcasting rights is distributed to the clubs, helping them in their operations. Mid-tier European clubs such as Fiorentina and West Ham have gained greater media attention, which is usually “stolen” by clubs like Inter, Milan, or Manchester City. Some young players have had the opportunity to develop and showcase their talent. For example, Roma’s forward Nicolò Zaniolo was a key player in their 2021/22 season, leading them to the title. His performances cemented his status as one of Italian football’s top talents. Similarly, Swiss striker Zeki Amdouni scored seven goals for Basel in the 2022/23 Conference League season, helping his club reach the semifinals, narrowly losing to Fiorentina. Amdouni later transferred to Burnley and now plays for Benfica, showcasing his significant talent. However, the league’s advantages end there.

A Third-Rate Competition

Undoubtedly, the Conference League has more shortcomings than advantages. While its supporters praise the competition for giving smaller clubs a chance to win a European trophy (West Ham and Olympiacos), critics label the Conference League trophy a “tin can” with little or no value. Although winning any serious competition is not easy, there is no doubt that the value of winning the Conference League is questionable and far inferior to the Champions League or Europa League. The competition carries the undeniable status of being third-rate, as it is intended for the weakest tier of European clubs. Meanwhile, the strongest play in the Champions League, and mid-tier clubs like Sevilla and Atalanta compete in the Europa League. One could argue that national cup competitions like England’s FA Cup or Spain’s Copa del Rey hold greater value. Why? The reward for winning the Conference League is qualification for the following season’s Europa League. This can also be achieved through national cup competitions in a less complicated way while playing thrilling matches against elite clubs like Barcelona or Manchester United.

Big Clubs “Stealing” the Spotlight from Smaller Ones

Although the Conference League was conceived as a platform for teams that rarely had the opportunity to shine, it is debatable how well this has been realized. So far, too many big teams from the first and second tiers of European football have ended up in the Conference League due to poor results in Champions League qualifiers or the Europa League group stages. This occurs less frequently now due to the new competition formats for all three European tournaments starting in the 2024/25 season, but many big teams still qualify for the Conference League after underperforming domestically. Chelsea, a regular in the Champions League, is a good example this season.

In previous seasons, clubs like Tottenham, Lille, Ajax, Villarreal, Lazio, Roma, Marseille, and Fenerbahçe have played in the Conference League. These are all European giants who usually participate in the Champions League or Europa League. Their presence, especially clubs like Chelsea, Tottenham, and Roma, significantly reduces the chances for smaller clubs to make an impact. Roma won the title in the 2021/22 season, and this year, Chelsea is the clear favorite. On the other hand, Tottenham, in the 2021/22 season, was eliminated in the group stage because they did not take the competition seriously. If big clubs play the Conference League seriously, they are strong favorites to win. Conversely, if they approach the competition lightly, they are eliminated quickly. This is not a good formula. In any competition, clubs should field their best teams, not reserves or experimental formations. Friendlies and training sessions should serve such purposes.

Financial Inferiority

In a capitalist world where money is crucial for clubs, it must be emphasized that the revenue in the Conference League is far lower than in the Europa League or Champions League. This is due to its lower commercial and marketing status. Last season, the Champions League’s total prize pool exceeded €2 billion, the Europa League’s was €465 million, and the Conference League’s was only €235 million. The Champions League winner (Real Madrid) earned approximately €85 million, the Europa League winner (Atalanta) €25 million, and the Conference League winner (Olympiacos) €12 million. These figures do not include income from broadcasting rights and sponsors. Broadcasting revenue is a significant part of club earnings, but in the Conference League, it is significantly lower, at around €250-300 million per season, compared to €1.1 billion for the Europa League and €3.5 billion for the Champions League.

Potential Restructuring

A potential solution could involve restructuring the Conference League so that clubs from the top 5 leagues (England, Spain, Italy, Germany, France) do not participate, leaving room for clubs from other parts of Europe. This would allow clubs from Portugal, the Netherlands, Greece, Turkey, Scotland, and other countries to shine. The success of the Greek club Olympiacos, which won the competition with great motivation, is a good example. Another suggestion might be to grant more clubs, not just the winner, qualification for the Europa League in the next season—for instance, allowing all semifinalists to qualify. However, perhaps the best solution would be abolishing the Conference League altogether and introducing regional leagues to strengthen clubs from Europe’s periphery. This could lead to the establishment of leagues like the Adriatic League for clubs from the former Yugoslavia, a Scandinavian League, or an Eastern or Southeastern European League.

Abolition?

In any case, the idea of the Conference League, as implemented over the past four seasons, is not effective. It has not brought significant benefits to European football. While it provides established clubs that failed to qualify for higher-tier competitions an opportunity to win something, smaller clubs remain small. This is evident from clubs in Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Estonia, which mostly fail to reach the group stages of the Conference League. New solutions must undoubtedly be sought. Čeferin and his associates will need to devise a better concept than the current one, which could even mean abolishing this infamous league.

Author: Matija Šerić

Featured image: Wikimedia Commons