Mar
3
Formation of a Balkan League?
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Rumors about a possible Balkan League have been circling around in various forms for a number of years now, and reports claim a meeting was held in Slovenia earlier in February to discuss how this idea might become a reality. Current plans include the league to feature 18 of the best teams in the Balkan region, with countries like Slovenia, Slovakia, Macedonia, Serbia and Bulgaria sending representatives.
Clubs from such countries with relatively modest recourses compared to the top European teams rarely have any real chances of making it to the Champions League, and don’t find much success in the Europa Cup either. A Balkan League certainly wouldn’t attract the same international attention as the before-mentioned competitions, but it might rejuvenate the sport in the region, as it will give the best clubs a chance to win something on a bigger scale.
Since most of these countries have a long winter break, current proposals are to take the top teams at the end of the first part of the season and have them compete in the Balkan league for the second half. How exactly the home and away games will be scheduled, what the exact format will be, and how much prize money will be given to the winner are questions that still remained to be answered.
In any case, it all will depend on how much the fans from those countries are willing to accept such a radical change to their system. A lot of research needs to be done before things get moving.