History of UEFA

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Founded            : 1954
President           : Michel Platini
Country             : Europe
Official website : http://www.uefa.com

UEFA Overview
UEFA, the Union of European Football Associations, is one of the six continental football federations that are part of FIFA. It acts as the governing body for all countries in the region; but there are several football federations that geographically are located in Asia but are part of the UEFA. These nations are Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Israel, Cyprus, Russia and Azerbaijan. Of the six continental football federations in the world, the UEFA is the wealthiest and has the strongest influence on football. The world’s top players play for European power houses that belong to the UEFA.

About the Union of European Football Associations
UEFA’s principal task is to oversee and organize league and national team competitions in the region. For the 2006 FIFA World Cup, the UEFA was awarded 14 spots out of the 32 available. In addition, currently 14 of the top 20 teams in the FIFA World Rankings are members of the UEFA. The UEFA is also in charge of administrating the FIFA men and women Qualifiers for the World Cup, as well as youth football, baech football, and indoor football competitions. The most important competition on the national side leave that the Union of European Football Associations organizes is the men’s UEFA European Football Championship. Club wise, the UEFA Champion’s League is the most known and important tournament for football clubs.

Confederation History
The UEFA was founded on June 15 1954 in Basel, Switzerland after talks between the French, Italian and Belgian football federations to create a governing body to oversee the region. Henri Delaunay was the first General Secretary and Ebbe Schwartz the president. The UEFA started with 25 national member associations, but now there are 53 that make it up. The UEFA’s headquarters were located in Paris, France until 1959 when it was moved to Berne and then finally to Nyon, Switzerland in 1995. The UEFA European Football Championship started in 1958, it was known as the European Nations Cup until 1964. The first champion was the Soviet Union who beat Yugoslavia 2-1 in an exciting final in Paris. The UEFA European Football Championship is held every four years just like the FIFA World Cup. The UEFA also organizes two club team competitions in Europe. The UEFA Champion’s League that was first crated in 1955, formerly known was the European Champion Clubs Cup until 1991; and the UEFA Cup that began in 197 substituting the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. Juventus is the only club team in Europe to have won all of the UEFA’s championships and cups. The UEFA Super Cup is played by the winner of the Champion’s League and the UEFA Cup. With 9 titles, Real Madrid is the most successful club team in Champion’s League history.

UEFA Member Nations
UEFA is comprised of 53 member nations, including all of Europe but also some nations that are technically part of Asia and the Middle East.

UEFA Competitions
Champions League
The UEFA Champions League is the premier football competition in Europe. 76 club teams from all over Europe, some of which have high fan appeal, compete for this prestigious trophy. The annual competition is held in various venues all over Europe, with the final taking place in a neutral location. The most successful club to participate in the competition is Real Madrid, and the current champions are Manchester United. For the 2009 Champions League, the final will be held in Rome's Stadio Olimpico.
In order to win for the UEFA Champions League clubs must go through a rigorous elimination process. First teams must participate in three qualifying rounds by playing two matches against each other on both home and away basis, with the club scoring the greater aggregate of goals qualifying for the next round. During the group stages, 32 teams are spilt into eight groups of four teams who play both home and away against each of their pool of opponents. Two teams out of the four in the group advance to the next stage of the competition, the knockout phase, the step before the quarter and semi-finals of the competition. After the quarter and semi-finals a neutral location is used to determine who will be the final champion and best club team in Europe.
The competition was created by the French newspaper L'Equipe A just two months after the creation UEFA. Real Madrid dominated the competition, during its first 5 years of existence. Liverpool FC became the next team to be a powerhouse in tournament winning four times between 1977 and 1984. In 1992 the group stages were added tournament, making it even harder for a team to become the champion. Currently the UEFA Champions League is considered the Super Bowl of European football, due to its popularity and competitiveness.

UEFA Cup
The UEFA Cup is one of the biggest club football competitions in Europe. A total of 157 club teams compete in the annual tournament. Ever since its creation in 1971 the competition has been one of the most prestigious tournaments in Europe. Club teams must go through qualifying rounds and a knockout stage in order to make it into the final of the competition. Each team plays both home and away matches, with the final being held in a neutral location. Italian club teams have been most successful in the tournament. However, the most recent champion of the competition is the Russian club Zenit. St. Petersburg, as they defeated the Rangers, in City of Manchester Stadium by a score 2-0.
The competition was formed in 1971-1972 by the Swiss man Ernst Thommen and future FIFA vice presidents Sir Stanley Rous and Ottorino Barrasi for representative sides from European cities that regularly held trade fairs. The first club that won the competition was Tottenham Hotspur F.C. The competition was first dominated by English club teams such as Liverpool in the early years of the competition. Kevin Keegan and Jimmy Case showcased their talents with Liverpool during these years. During the 1980s West German clubs such as Bayern Munchen became dominant in the competition. However during the 1990s the Italians were most successful, with teams such as Juventes and Parma winning the competition. Most recently Russian teams have began to showcase their talent in the UEFA Cup.

EURO
The UEFA EURO, also known as the European Championship, is the most European prestigious competition for national teams. The tournament is held every four years, two years after the World Cup. Teams must qualify over a 9 month period and are drawn into Groups. The top 2 teams from each group then make it to the final Group stage. The top two teams from each group of 4 teams (16 teams total in 4 groups) then progress to the quarterfinals, and losers are immediately eliminated. Spain are the current champions, having won EURO 2008 final against Germany in Austria on June 29, 2008.

InterToto Cup
The UEFA Intertoto Cup (UI Cup) is a summer competition for football club teams which did not qualify for the Champions League and the UEFA Cup. Founded in 1961 and taken over by UEFA in 1995, it is considered as an alternative qualifying route for the UEFA Cup. The tournament lets clubs that do not qualify for other major European championships get a taste of European Football. 50 club teams compete in three rounds of the elimination style tournament. The most recent champion of the competition is Hamburger SV. French clubs teams have had the most success in the tournament, winning a total of 15 competitions.

FIFA World Cup Qualifying
UEFA manages the region's qualification matches of the FIFA World Cup for all member nations.

Confederation Management
President: Michel Platini (2006-present)

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