UEFA Cup
(To be re-named UEFA Europa League from July 2009)
Tottenham Hotspur FC was the first winners of this competition which was played in the 1971/72 season. It is played every year by the European football clubs, which includes teams from the United Kingdom. There are a total of 157 teams competing at the beginning of each season, all of which is on a knock out basis. After the first stage the competition enters the group stage played on a home and away format, ultimately leading to the finals, which is played at a neutral venue.
The three most successful clubs who have won the competition, and in fact all three have won the UEFA Cup three times each are:-
- Juventus
- Internazionale
- Liverpool
The 2009/10 competition has been altered slightly to include more teams in a bid to increase the profile of the competition. The most significant change is there will now be 12 groups of 4, playing a double round robin, where as in the past there were 8 groups of 5 playing a single round robin.
The current cup champions are Zenit of St. Petersburg having beaten Rangers in 2008. The 2009 final will be played at Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey on May 20th.
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