Europe? No Way

Sorry, No Difference

A year ago the paper reported that UEFA would ‘look strongly’ at allowing the FAW Premier Cup winners a place in Europe after the FAW decided that it needed it’s top sides to compete on behalf of the nation in the UEFA Cup. Nothing came of it. Today, the BBC report that the FAW are keen to let the league clubs appear in the Welsh Cup, the winners of which get entry into the same competition.

It’s old hat and rears it’s head on average once per year. Nothing I suspect will come of it. UEFA made their stance 10 years ago when they ruled that the likes of us, Cardiff City and Wrexham could not be allowed entry into Europe via an affiliated competition of the FAW because we played in the English league structure. Unless I missed something over the last week or so we still play in the same English league structure and the Welsh Cup remains the property of the FAW.

This is the FAW’s way of trying to give the Welsh cup some credence again with the FAW really becoming a bit of a damp squid. By allowing the football league clubs back in, together with the likes of Merthyr and Newport, it gives the competition the edge that it used to have. Maybe they will go the whole hog and invite back Hereford and Shrewsbury as well. It will also likely mean some funding from the BBC as I cannot see the FAW Premier Cup surviving if it happens.

But let’s not kid ourselves that it opens the European door to us by winning the competition. It used to until UEFA got wise to what was happening when the League of Wales was formed. They made their stance then and I cannot possibly see it changing now. The FAW can put forward whoever they like as winners but UEFA do not have to sanction the place in the UEFA cup nor are they likely to do so. It is a shame but let’s not let the raking up of old news excite us too much – it’s no co-incidence that the story has come up two years in succession after the end of another season where Welsh clubs lasted no time in Europe. Albeit the story is in a different guise but the principle is the same.

I would love to see European football returning to the Vetch – we all remember games against the likes of Panathinikos and this year’s Champions League finalists Monaco at the Vetch and of course the interesting return legs.

Mark my words as well that when the story dies we’ll have something very similar next May and every May in the near future as the FAW look to increase their popularity amongst the supporters that take little interest in the goings on in their league and cup.

Ah, well that’s another annual ritual out of the way – back to the play off watching anyone?

Why not check out the latest Vetch Verdict on the BBC site?