EUROPA League
BELGIUM MAY FORFEIT SLOTS IN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE, UEFA WARNS
BY LIAM MORGAN.
UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin has criticised the Belgian Pro League and warned its places in the Champions League and Europa League are under threat after it became the first league in the continent to be cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Belgian League Board of Directors recommended the current standings in the competition be declared final, a decision which was expected to be confirmed at its General Assembly on April 15.
But the ratification of the plan, which would see Club Brugge declared Pro League champions, has been thrown into doubt following the intervention of UEFA.
Hours after the announcement, UEFA, alongside the powerful European Club Association and European Leagues organisations, said other leagues considering following Belgium in bringing a premature end to their season risk forfeiting their places in the Champions League and Europa League next season.
The joint letter called for a unified approach from leagues across the continent, the majority of which have been suspended amid growing concern over the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to reports, the letter said “any decision of abandoning domestic competitions is, at this stage, premature and not justified”.
“Since participation in UEFA club competitions is determined by the sporting result achieved at the end of a full domestic competition, a premature termination would cast doubts about the fulfilment of such condition,” the joint letter stated.
The organisations added there was a plan to complete current campaigns across the continent in July and August, past the June 30 date which marks the formal end to the European season.
Čeferin today addressed the issue in an interview with German public broadcaster ZDF.
“Solidarity is not a one-way street,” he said.
“The Belgians and any others who might be thinking about it now are risking their participation in European competitions next season.”
The Pro League seemed to remain defiant in a conference call with UEFA and the Royal Belgian Football Association today, however.
The sport.be website reported the league would not agree to an approach that forces the continuation of the competition to ensure their places in the Champions League and Europa League remain.
Coronavirus has infected over one million people worldwide and killed more than 55,000.
Last month, the World Health Organization warned Europe is now the epicentre of the pandemic, which originated in China.
-insidethegames
Four-times Europa League winner Unai Emery booked an astonishing sixth final in the competition as a manager on Thursday when his Aston Villa team swept aside Nottingham Forest in the second leg of their all-English semi-final.
The 54-year-old Spaniard has won three times with Sevilla (2014, 2015, 2016) and once with Villarreal (2021) – either side of a defeat with Arsenal (2019) – deservedly earning him the epithet “Mr Europa League” from some fans and media.
Now he goes to the 2026 final seeking a fifth title, this time with Aston Villa against Bundesliga side Freiburg.
“His track record speaks for itself,” said Villa striker Ollie Watkins, heaping praise on his boss as the man to guarantee Europa League success. “We need to go and win it now.”
Emery was delighted with how his team overturned a 1-0 deficit to Forest in the first leg of the Europa League semi-final to score four times at home and win 4-1 on aggregate.
“Now we have to look to the final,” he said, hoping that Villa will do “something fantastic” for their fans.
Though thrilled at Thursday’s win, Emery left the pitch quickly after the final whistle, pumping his fist a few times at the crowd before letting his players enjoy the moment with fans
He and his Villa side will be favourites at the Europa League final in Istanbul on May 20, but Emery was taking nothing for granted. “Of course German teams are so difficult, their coaches, their players are so good,” he added of the upcoming opponents.
-Reuters
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List of teams which have qualified for the next round of the Europa League after the league phase concluded on Thursday, ranked by table position:
Directly to the round of 16:
1. Olympique Lyonnais (France)
2. Aston Villa (England)
3. Midtjylland (Denmark)
4. Real Betis (Spain)
5. Porto (Portugal)
6. Braga (Portugal)
7. Freiburg (Germany)
8. AS Roma (Italy)
Knockout phase play-off places (seeded)
9. Genk (Belgium)
10. Bologna (Italy)
11. VfB Stuttgart (Germany)
12. Ferencvaros (Hungary)
13. Nottingham Forest (England)
14. Viktoria Plzen (Czech Republic)
15. Red Star Belgrade (Serbia)
16. Celta Vigo (Spain)
Knockout phase play-off places (unseeded)
17. PAOK (Greece)
18. Lille (France)
19. Fenerbahce (Turkey)
20. Panathinaikos (Greece)
21. Celtic (Scotland)
22. Ludogorets (Bulgaria)
23. Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia)
24. SK Brann (Norway)
-Reuters
UEFA Europa League – Aston Villa v RB Salzburg – Villa Park, Birmingham, Britain – January 29, 2026 Aston
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Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv will not accept any away fan tickets for their Europa League match at Aston Villa next month, even if local authorities reverse the decision to ban their supporters, they said on Monday.
The ban followed safety concerns raised by British Police, who cited potential protests outside Villa Park, following demonstrations at Israel’s recent World Cup qualifiers in Oslo and Udine.
“From hard lessons learned we have taken the decision to decline any allocation offered on behalf of away fans and our decision should be understood in that context,” Maccabi said in a statement.
“We hope that circumstances will change and look forward to being able to play in Birmingham in a sporting environment in the near future.”
Aston Villa announced the decision last week, saying they were following instructions from the Safety Advisory Group (SAG), who are responsible for issuing safety certificates for games at Villa Park.
West Midlands Police described the match as high risk, past incidents, including violent confrontations and hate crime offences involving Ajax and Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters ahead of a November 2024 game in Amsterdam.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar described the announcement as “shameful”.
Villa are third in the Europa League standings while Maccabi Tel Aviv are 30th after two rounds.
-Reuters
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