Crocker

The Uefa Cup could be on the verge of being re-branded.

It could soon be called the Uefa Europa League as football's bosses seek to give the competition fresh appeal.

European soccer's governing body Uefa is considering the name change as it seeks to reverse a feeling it has become 'a second class competition'.

The proposed name change was revealed by Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, the acting chairman of the new European Clubs Association, whose organisation was presented with the proposal on Monday.

Rummenigge said: "The hope is that a refreshment of the name and brand can help achieve better results than we've seen in the Uefa Cup in the past.

"There has been a general impression that it has become a second-class competition and that we should get back to how it was ten or 15 years ago."

Uefa's executive committee is set to vote on the name change when it meets in Bordeaux in September.

Confirming the vote, a senior Uefa source added the new name was meant to better reflect the new group stage system being used in the competition from the 2009-10 season.

This new system is a direct copy of UEFA's more successful Champions League competition and will see the dropping of the unpopular five-team groups in which teams play each opponent just once either home or away in favour of a simpler home and away system.

In another lesson learned from the lucrative Champions League, UEFA will also be marketing the competition centrally from 2009.

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God

Did you miss a letter or is it actually Europa? If you missed a letter then its a better name, otherwise, no.

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Crocker

No I didnt thats what its actually going to be called

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Assassin™

"Europa" actually makes more sense seeing as how, for the most part, that's what the non-English speaking population of the continent calls it. Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, etc, all call it Europa.

Anyway, simply changing the name isn't going to bring prestige back to the tournament. I really don't get what UEFA is expecting to change with this.

lol, it IS a second class competition. Obviously the Champions League takes precedence, and will continue to do so. Changing the name of the UEFA Cup isn't going to somehow fool football fans into thinking these competitions are all of a sudden equal.

Meldrew

They can call it whatever the hell they like but it will still be second class compared to the 'Champions' League, you know, that competition where you can finish 4th in your domestic league and qualify

The European trophies were far more prestigious when they had the 3 of them and they consisted of the 2 legged knock out ties. People really earned their entries those days

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Tyler Durden

Do it as straight knockout, forget about that bloody awful group stage that eliminates about 6 teams, and don't have Champions League losers coming down into it.

It'll still suck though!

Flash_Back

to be fair I think its since these group stages came in its became a second class competition my team (Celtic) got to the final against Porto who the next year went onto win the champions league, Celtic the next year had to face Frank Rijkaards Barcelona, next season they won La Liga and then season after that Champs League...after putting out Barca we faced Villareal who the next season went to semis of Champs league, ever since the group stage has went in its went way downhill

scotland16

Whatever they call it, it wont make it any better