The first edition of the UEFA Europe Conference League shows that football is a sport for everyone and not for the affluent elite, UEFA President Alexander Seferin said on Friday.

In his speech in the first draw of the group stage of the match in Istanbul, Mr. Seferin underlined how important the match is because it gives each player the opportunity to realize their dream of playing in the big European matches.

“Football is not a sport made for the rich, it is for the rich,” he said. This is our sport and it can never be taken away from us. “

More clubs will vibrate

By offering seats in at least one club from 55 European national associations, UEFA’s third men’s club competition is already enabling more teams and fans to experience the excitement of European football.

Of the 184 teams that participated in the first edition, many did not play in a UEFA match. Of these, eight groups qualified: FC Alashkirt (Armenia), FK Bodø / Glimt (Norway), Vegetation (Estonia), FC Kairat (Kazakhstan), Lincoln Red Imps FC (Gibraltar), NŠ method (Slovenia), Randers FC (Denmark) and Union Berlin (Germany).

Prior to this season, neither club had played a group stage in the Armenian Premier League, Estonian Mistrelliga or the Gibraltar National League.

At Lorne FC, it’s hard to understand

For Lorne FC, A Northern Irish club, reached the first qualifying round of the Europa Conference League last month, fulfilling an old wish.

“It’s one of our biggest goals and a big milestone to play in Europe,” said Lorne CEO Niall Cornin in July. “We have had this goal for years, but it is still a difficult moment to achieve. It is amazing to see all the correspondence from UEFA and the Irish Football Association. “

“There are people who have been with the club longer than I did, and it was amazing to see these people with tears during the playoffs. Many of them never thought they would see Larn in a European game in their lifetime, we are here. “