​​Moving Football Eastward It’s fair to say that football, p | Conference League UEFA

​​Moving Football Eastward


It’s fair to say that football, particularly in the post-Cold War period, has been dominated by teams from Western Europe.
The fall of the Eastern Bloc has affected football, which was not a source of profit in the same way it was in the West. Whilst continuous political change has happened across Eastern Europe in modern history, the West has been able to bask in the few benefits capitalism has. These benefits include socio-economic development for football due to its ever-growing interest in the sport.

Continental football must develop the sport across the whole continent, not just one side of it. Although this issue is deep-rooted, a simple solution is running a third European tournament. Bigger leagues, such as the Premier League and La Liga, will be given less representation in qualifying for the tournament.

A litmus test for this is this year’s Europa League group stage. Seven out of the 12 third-placed teams were east of Berlin. As smaller less prestigious nations across Europe, particularly in the east, will be offered chances to qualify, it’s likely we will see a non-Western club lift a continental trophy for the first time in a long time.