There has been plenty spoken and written about our entry into and inclusion in the Champions League for next season, by Liverpool fans and other teams' supporters. I do, for what its worth, think its an excellent result for us.
If you would have told me 3 weeks ago (Saturday 21sy May) that in three weeks time we would be Champions of Europe and back in the competition (the league was over and Everton had been nominated as the FA's representative), I would have bitten your body off never mind your bloody hand.
Fan's of other clubs who are unhappy at our entry and so called special treatment, people who say the rules are rules, well your argument against our entry does not hold up. There weren't any defined and clear cut rules, just cop-out clauses which relied on others to take responsibility, the same rules that have seen the FA look like planks and made UEFA perform an almighty about turn.
Evertonians, (its only blues who have publiclly bemoaned our entry on the grounds of money) who feel they may lose out on a couple of million quid with the rules on shareing pots of money, I have three things to ask:
1) Is the depth of your ambition in the Champions League money making?
2) If the suits at the FA had followed the only precedent, which was set by Spain when Real Madrid won the cup yet finished fifth, would you be happy in the UEFA Cup now?
3) If you had won the Europen Cup (I know its hard but use every ounce of imagination you have) and finished outside the qualification places for the competition, should you be allowed to defend the title?
Liverpool fans, like some member on here, who feel cheated because the reiging Champions of Europe (never tire of saying that) are required to qualify from the very begining and enter the first-round stage, meaning they must play a few extra games in July. You too are wrong. If some of our players had bothered to turn up for a few of the games in March and April like St Marys and Palace away, Liverpool would not be in this predicament.
Everyone who has moaned should realise that for the first time ever, despite constant warning that it would not happen, one country has five teams in Europe's premier club competition. And that country is England.
Fitting in some way that some twenty years after we were booted out of all continental football and treated like lepers by the rest of Europe, it is through Liverpool Football Club that this should happen.
Anyway rant over and back onto the reason for this thread. I wanted to take a look at the possible opponents in the first round of qualifying for the Champions League. So here go's:
Kazakhstan League Champions Kairat Almaty
Official Kairat Almaty Website
Apparently Kazakhstan is a country of west-central Asia south of Russia and northeast of the Caspian Sea. The original Turkic inhabitants were overrun by the Mongols in the 13th century and ruled by various khanates until the Russian conquest of 1730 to 1853. The region became an autonomous republic of the USSR in 1920 and was a constituent republic from 1936 to 1991, when it gained its independence. Astana is the capital and Almaty the largest city.
Population: 17,027,000.
Champions of Kazakhstan in 1992, 2004 and 2005.
Kazakhstan Cup Winners in 1992, 1996, 1999, 2001 and 2003.
Faroe Island League Champions HB Tórshavn
Official HB Torshavn Website
Apparently they come from the capital of the Faeroe Islands, on southeast Straymoy Island. It is a major port and shipping center. Population: 14,671.
Sorry no other info as unsure on their language.
Azerbaijan Champions PFC Neftchi
Official PFC Neftchi Website
Apparently a country of Transcaucasia north of Iran. It constitutes the northern part of the historical region of Azerbaijan, which was ceded to Russia by Persia in 1813 and 1828. It was a constituent republic of the USSR, known as the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, from 1936 to 1991. Baku is the capital. Population: 7,472,000.
Last time they came close to entering the Champions League group phase they faced better known CSKA Moscow in August 2004, and where subsequently beaten 2-0 in the second qualifying round. CSKA went on to beat Glasgow Rangers and qualify for the group phase.
Luxembourg League Champions F91 Dudelange
Official F91 Dudelange Website
Apparently on Sunday 29th May 2005, F91 Dudelange secured their fourth Luxembourg First Division title in six years with a 1-0 victory against FC Victoria Rosport in the penultimate game of the season.
Estonian League Champions FC Levadia Tallinn
Official FC Levadia Tallinn Website
Apparently on the 18th May FC Levadia Tallinn regained the Estonian Cup after a last-gasp header from Vitali Leitan finally broke ten-man FC TVMK Tallinn's stubborn resistance to earn a slender one-goal win at the Kadriorg stadium.
Northern Irish League Winners Glentoran FC
Official Glentoran Website
Apparently Jody Tolan put pen to paper recently to seal a deal that will see him play at the Oval for the next three seasons. At the same time Mark Glendinning and Darren Lockhart signed extended contracts. Good news for Glentoran fans I am reliably informed.
Albanian League Champions KF Tirana
Official KF Tirana Website (English Version)
Apparently the 20 times Albanian champions have won the league title three times in a row on three seperate occasion, 1930-32, 1934-37 and most recently 1995-97. Easily beaten by Ajax (1970) and Bayern Munich (1989) they are yet to feature in the group stages since the revised format.
League of Wales Champions Total Network Solutions FC
Official T N S Website
Apparently they offered Liverpool the chance of a play off over two legs should they be refused entry to the competition by UEFA. They also play Northern Irish Champions Glentoran in a pre season friendly at Treflan on Saturday 2nd July. Rafa take note.
Armenian Champions FC Pyunik
Official FC Pyunik Website
Apparently FC Pyunik's quest for a fifth straight Armenian Premier League title got off to the best possible start - but their Armenian Cup dream ended at the quarter-final stage in April.
Irish League Champions Shelbourne FC
Official Shalbourne Website
Apparently Shelbourne where recently granted an official UEFA Club Licence meaning they can now play under floodlights in European games. They completed a hatrick of Irish League titles this year.
Maltese League Champions Sliema Wanderers FC
Official Sliema Wanderers Website
Apparently Sliema Wanderers were officially founded in 1909 although the first game by the Wanderers was played on the 3rd October 1908 against St George's in the Boys Junior football league for Under 21 teams. Sliema had a number of English players and supporters since Sliema was one of the main harbours for the English fleet in the Mediterranean. It seems that most of these Englishmen supported Bolton Wanderers or Wolverhampton Wanderers and from there, Sliema got the name Sliema Wanderers.
Icelandic League Champions FH Hafnarfjördur
Official Hafnarfjordur Website
Apparently Champions FH Hafnarfjördur top the Icelandic league after four games, but newcomers Valur Reykjavík are matching them point for point.
Belarusian League Champions FC Dinamo Minsk
Official Dinamo Minsk Website
There are just few clubs in Former Soviet Union with such complicated history, as "Dinamo" Minsk. There are many pages in the history of this outstanding team, though there were also bitter times of long failures. Playing in premier league of the USSR championship since 1945, football players from Minsk six times were kicked out to the lower league and six times they came back again. Previous European Cup quarter final appearence in the 1984-85 season and quarter finals in the Cup Winners Cup and UEFA cup in the 1980's.
Lithuanian ChampionsFBK Kaunas
Official FBK Kaunas Website
Apparently on 12th April this year Five months after FBK Kaunas won their sixth successive Lithuanian First Division title, the 2005 season began and runs until 12 November with Kaunas chasing an unprecedented 7th on the bounce.
Macedonian League Champions FK Rabotnicki
Official FK Rabotnicki Website
Apparently on Monday 9th May 2005, the day after our embarrasing defeat at Highbury, FK Rabotnicki where crowned champions of F.Y.R. Macedonia for the first time with four rounds of matches in the Macedonian First League still to play.
Georgian League Winners FC Dinamo Tbilisi
Official Dinamo Tbilisi Website
Apparently The history of FC Dinamo Tbilisi begun from the autumn of 1925. Management of the sports society of Dinamo set out to form football club. In those days football was gradually becoming one of the most popular sports in the world.
Numerous European level players have starred in Dinamo. In the 30s this was Boris Paichadze who was one of the best forwards of the continent. During the tour through Romania he was titled "Football Caruso". His name later was been given to the National Stadium.
Previous European experience includes a Cup Winners Cup Triumph in 1981, and are 12 times league winners at home.
Bosnia and Herzgovenia's League Winners NK Zrinjski
UN Official NK Zrinjski Website
Apparently first time league winners NK Zrinjski are well prepared for their first foray into Europes top club competition. Zrinjski's nearest rivals NK Željeznicar fell too far off the pace after drawing with FK Sarajevo and losing at NK Travnik. Zrinjski meanwhile defeated NK Široki Brijeg and NK Orašje to open up an unassailable eleven-point advantage and seal the championship with three games remaining.
The title celebrations were even more meaningful as it is the 100th year since football first arrived in the country in Mostar - the hometown of the newly crowned title winners.
Finnish League Winners FC Haka
Official FC Haka Website
Finnish minnows Haka are 9 times league winners and 11 times domestic cup competition winners.
Latvian League Winners FC Skonto
Official Skonto Website
Apparently FC Skonto, hailing from Latvian town of Riga have claimed the last 14 Latvian titles but the 2005 season is expected to be the most exciting yet.
Moldovan League Champions FC Sheriff
Official FC Sheriff Website
Apparently last league season, FC Sheriff secured their fifth league title in Moldova, returning to winning ways having secured three on the spin before the barren 2004 season.
Champions Of Cyprus Anorthosis Famagusta FC
Official Anorthosis Famagusta FC Website
Anorthosis Famagusta FC secured their 12th Cypriot league title with a 2-0 victory at Nea Salamis FC. Anorthosis were virtually written off at the start of the season because of financial problems, but in player-manager and 16-goal leading scorer and former Newcastle United international Ketsbaia they have found their inspiration.
Slovenian League Champions NK Gorica
Official NK Gorica Website
Apparently last season's run to the UEFA Champions League third qualifying round, meant they were in great shape going into the season and managed to maintain their form and togetherness throughout the campaign. Despite one short run of uncertain results, they left the rest with little hope of ending their First League reign. Their pole position was assured by a 1-0 win at Publikum on 14 May.
Slovakian SuperLeague Winners either FC Artmedia Bratislava OR MŠK Žilina
Official FC Artmedia Bratislava Website
Official MSK Zilina Website
Apparently the only possible opponent in the first qualifying round yet to be confirmed is in the Slovakian league with either FC Artmedia Bratislava or MŠK Žilina set to take the final place. The Slovakian league culminates on the 15th June, and currently FC Artmedia Bratislava have a 6 point cushion having played the same number of games as MŠK Žilina who have a +5 goal difference ontheir fierce rivals. One win for FC Artmedia Bratislava in the final two games secures them the spot.