Parma's reserves raise questions about UEFA Cup

A mixture of reserves and youth team players performing in front of a crowd of just over 7,000... that was the scene for last Thursday's UEFA Cup semi-final, first-leg between Italian club Parma and Russians CSKA Moscow. What has happened to a tournament which for decades was considered one of the top competitions in the sport? Simon Evans has more.

When it began in 1971-72, as the successor tournament to the Inter City Fairs Cup, the UEFA Cup was clearly the "number two" trophy on offer in European football behind the European Cup then reserved solely for the champions of each domestic league.

When UEFA changed the format of the European Cup from 1992-93 with the birth of the Champions League, the second trophy continued to enjoy some popularity due to its more traditional knock-out structure.

The decision to end the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1999 and allow the winners of national cup competitions to enter the UEFA Cup also strengthened the competitions status.

But as the Champions League has expanded, now featuring a 32-team group stage, the UEFA Cup has faded further into the background.

The crucial factor is that instead of just the champions of powerhouse nations, such as England, Italy and Spain, entering the Champions League, the top four clubs from those countries are handed a place in the premier tournament inevitably weakening the field for the UEFA Cup.

Enter Parma - a team in the unusual position of fighting a relegation battle while in the last four of a European competition.

No team has ever achieved that particular double - relegation and a European trophy in the same season.

Parma finished fifth in Serie A last season but this year have struggled and are still heavily involved in trying to avoid the drop to Serie B.

As coach Pietro Carmignani said after his weakened team played out a dull goalless draw with CSKA "Serie A is our priority".

It is hard to criticise Parma for putting the long-term future of their club before that of the chance of glory in Europe.

Since they lost the backing of the financially troubled local firm Parmalat, Parma have had to cope with limited resources and they are likely to be put up for sale during the close season.

Given their record of qualifying for European competition for each of the last 13 years, during which they have won the UEFA Cup twice, Parma, a club with an excellent youth system, look an attractive buy.

But if they were to become a Serie B club with few assets their future would be highly uncertain and they could face the real risk of returning to where they were for most of their history - the lower divisions.

Carmignani believes it is not worth risking an injury to their top scorer Alberto Gilardino which could hamper their chances of that vital Serie A survival.

But Parma's approach does devalue the competition. England's League Cup - and even the FA Cup - are examples of how a Cup can be devalued by teams opting to play weakened line-ups and UEFA will surely be worried about other clubs prioritising other competitions.

There are many clubs that still find the UEFA Cup a prestigious competition.

Central and Eastern European clubs and teams from Scandinavia relish the chance to take on teams from the big leagues in the western half of the continent.

In the major leagues, clubs like English side Middlesbrough, who had a full house for their tie with Lazio earlier in the competition, clearly enjoyed a rare taste of Euro competition.

There are plenty of teams who, with little chance of Champions League glory, would lap up the glamour of international competition.

For the elite clubs a place in the UEFA Cup would represent failure and they might be tempted to follow those examples and keep their best players for the domestic title race.

It might be better for the UEFA Cup if, in such circumstances, those clubs decided not to take a place in the competition at all - and left it for those who would enjoy it more.