LOI In Europe 2025

[joey B]

St Pat's have been drawn against FC Hegelmann of Lithuania

[2 Year Contract]

St Pat's have been drawn against FC Hegelmann of Lithuania
Not an easy draw as far as unseeded first round teams go. They sit top of the league after 15 games over there in a league that along with Latvia often gets underestimated. I was over there in 2013 when Pats league winning team played Zalgiris and were knocked out by them in the second leg at home. And that was a Pats team that were far better than the current one. Having said that they’re probably not as good as some of the sides Pats beat in recent years in Europe so here’s hoping the current squad can pull the finger out for the second half of the season like they did last year

[ger121]

Not an easy draw as far as unseeded first round teams go. They sit top of the league after 15 games over there in a league that along with Latvia often gets underestimated. I was over there in 2013 when Pats league winning team played Zalgiris and were knocked out by them in the second leg at home. And that was a Pats team that were far better than the current one. Having said that they’re probably not as good as some of the sides Pats beat in recent years in Europe so here’s hoping the current squad can pull the finger out for the second half of the season like they did last year

Patchy against Lithuanian sides over the last 10-15 years. Definitely a couple of easier ties in that mini-group. Still if they want to go a few rounds again this season they need to be beating a side like this. Pat’s well suited to Europe in the way they set-up and play.

[Nesta99]

Thinking overnight… there must be* a participation clause with the FAI that clubs will not do anything that damages the reputation or integrity of the association and its competitions. Trivela have damaged the league’s ranking with the co-efficient of three clubs divisible by four. (I think the only way they definitively can't damage the ranking is if all clubs lose all their European ties.) Should the FAI take action against Trivela? Punitive action, or force ownership into a blind trust, and make that a condition for any club in a multi-club ownership model going forward?

*Well, it’s the FAI after all so maybe not.

Did you want Dundalk wiped out?......dont answer that!!



Great draw for shels,nordie football is absolutely woeful,Dundalk in their current 1st division guise
would give most of the top 4 IL teams a good game id say

That is maybe the nicest thing you have ever said about Dundalk PC, I totally disagree with you but it is very nice of you! ;)

There was a time that I would have trawled through both UEFA and domestic licencing to see what additional work was involved to just submit an application for Europe, i'm not in the mood so hoped someone would do some spoon feeding. I know it'd be a rare enough thing for a side to be bumped but its not unknown, Trivela could have had a financial crisis rather than too many clubs. From now on everyone will be throwing their hat in the ring and such a situation migh never happen unless some county club goes from a new third tier to Europe in a couple of years (another reason not to like the county model......).

I think there is a clause on clubs messing on participation in Europe that could apply to Drogheda but I dont think the FAI will apply it. If someone wants to stick the boot in, insist on all rules being enforced at all times or use non use as a precedence if anyone falls foul of any other rule. I do hope we see the full rulings from UEFA and the CAS appeal and see what the various arguments were and be able to make a comparison with other multiclub issues. It will boil down to meeting deadlines or not but what case Drogs made would be interesting. Did the FAI get notification and not pass on changes in deadlines eg?? There'll be fun with that yet if so. Or it was a massive self inflicted thing by Drogs, did the owners even know. If deadlines passed before all clubs were qualified then there was a case for appeal.

Anyways, time to move on and hopefully, on paper so far, our league reps will progress and 3 out of 4 we'd have taken in advance.

[placid casual]

"it'll be a cold day in hell before I lavish praise on dundalk"!!! :)
Might not be true,but having seen a number of games up there over the course of the last couple of years, I don't have a high opinion of IL football - chris shields is one of the better players there and he's about 106..

[pineapple stu]

FAI admits it didn’t send important UEFA circular on multi-club ownership to Drogheda United (https://www.independent.ie/regionals/louth/drogheda-news/fai-admits-it-didnt-send-important-uefa-circular-on-multi-club-ownership-to-drogheda-united/a795663997.html)

Jesus Christ...

Now granted Trivela should still have known because they owned other clubs. But still. Is this the stupidest thing the FAI have ever done?

[Longfordian]

I can think of way more stupid things they've done over the years. They should have sent it to any clubs that had any kind of multi club set up to be on the safe side because you just never know. But at the same time they said they made Trivela aware of the potential difficulties in November. Yes, again, they could have actually sent them the circular at that point, but if they told them the rules had changed then Trivela should have had enough competent people employed to be able to dig out such things. And as you say they are quite likely to have been made aware of it by the Danish or English FA's.

[yurt]

Decent draws for both clubs. They'll both be favourites I'd imagine. Shels getting an out of season team was really important. Will be watching with interest tomorrow to see what the second round draws might bring for all 3 of the teams.

No real glamour ties to be had in round 2 really. Red Star, Bratislava and Ljubljana look like the most winnable to me while not knowing much about the sides.

Chance they draw Maccabi Tel-Aviv too which would put Shels in a pretty nasty position. If they said 50% of match day sales go to Palestinian aid I genuinely reckon they could sell out Croke Park for a protest dressed up as a Champions League tie.

[placid casual]

And get an enormous fine in the process.
European hierarchy have to protect their zionist backers

[Eminence Grise]

Surely what you're suggesting would just cause Trivela to pull out of Drogheda/LOI altogther, on the basis that it's more trouble than it's worth, esp when there are a dozen other comparable leagues which would be more welcoming?

Pour encourager les autres... There's some Apprentice-level incompetence from Team Trivela that would turn Alan Sugar apoplectic.



FAI admits it didn’t send important UEFA circular on multi-club ownership to Drogheda United (https://www.independent.ie/regionals/louth/drogheda-news/fai-admits-it-didnt-send-important-uefa-circular-on-multi-club-ownership-to-drogheda-united/a795663997.html)

Jesus Christ...

Now granted Trivela should still have known because they owned other clubs. But still. Is this the stupidest thing the FAI have ever done?


Doesn't exonerate Trivela one jot. I bet they got the memo from the Danes. It's kind of a shorry Guard, I'm only driving becosh the barman didn't remind how mush I could zrink defence. But on a scale of 1 to WTF the FAI set new records on this.

[pineapple stu]

No real glamour ties to be had in round 2 really. Red Star, Bratislava and Ljubljana look like the most winnable to me while not knowing much about the sides.
Not a chance Shels beat Red Star Belgrade (six points in last year's Champions League group stage) or Slovan Bratislava (0 points in the Champions League, but the money they got from it will do for Shels)

Ljubljana might be beatable, but to be honest if they beat Linfield, I think best way to look at it is three shots at getting into the Conference League groups.

[Nesta99]

Pour encourager les autres... There's some Apprentice-level incompetence from Team Trivela that would turn Alan Sugar apoplectic.





Doesn't exonerate Trivela one jot. I bet the got the memo from the Danes. It's kind of a shorry Guard, I'm only driving becosh the barman didn't remind how mush I could zrink defence. But on a scale of 1 to WTF the FAI set new records on this.

That is a very good point! Im annoyed I didnt think of that while talking to a Drog today who was laying it all on the FAI.

[2 Year Contract]

Pots for the second round draw in the conference league today are out

Pats potential opponents:
1 AC Sparta Praha (CZE)
2 R. Charleroi SC (BEL)
3 Riga FC (LVA)
4 Silkeborg IF (DEN)
5 Nõmme Kalju FC (EST) vs FK Partizani (ALB)

Rovers potential opponents:
6 La Fiorita 1967 (SMR) vs FC Vardar (MKD)
7 NK Varaždin (CRO)
8 Floriana FC (MLT) vs Haverfordwest County AFC (WAL)
9 St Joseph's FC (GIB) vs Cliftonville FC (NIR)
10 FC UNA Strassen (LUX)

Shels potential opponents if they lose to Linfield:
Pairing 1: The New Saints FC (WAL) vs KF Shkëndija (MKD)
Pairing 2: FCI Levadia Tallinn (EST) vs FC RFS (LVA)
Pairing 3: FK Žalgiris (LTU) vs Hamrun Spartans FC (MLT)

And in the champions league draw, Shels potential opponents if they beat Linfield:
ŠK Slovan Bratislava (SVK)
Qarabağ FK (AZE)
Winners of Pairing 9: Fotbal Club FCSB (ROU) vs Inter Club d'Escaldes (AND)
Winners of Pairing 10: NK Olimpija Ljubljana (SVN) vs FC Kairat Almaty (KAZ)

[Another Bohemia]

Pots for the second round draw in the conference league today are out

Pats potential opponents:
1 AC Sparta Praha (CZE)
2 R. Charleroi SC (BEL)
3 Riga FC (LVA)
4 Silkeborg IF (DEN)
5 Nõmme Kalju FC (EST) vs FK Partizani (ALB)

Rovers potential opponents:
6 La Fiorita 1967 (SMR) vs FC Vardar (MKD)
7 NK Varaždin (CRO)
8 Floriana FC (MLT) vs Haverfordwest County AFC (WAL)
9 St Joseph's FC (GIB) vs Cliftonville FC (NIR)
10 FC UNA Strassen (LUX)

Shels potential opponents if they lose to Linfield:
Pairing 1: The New Saints FC (WAL) vs KF Shkëndija (MKD)
Pairing 2: FCI Levadia Tallinn (EST) vs FC RFS (LVA)
Pairing 3: FK Žalgiris (LTU) vs Hamrun Spartans FC (MLT)

And in the champions league draw, Shels potential opponents if they beat Linfield:
ŠK Slovan Bratislava (SVK)
Qarabağ FK (AZE)
Winners of Pairing 9: Fotbal Club FCSB (ROU) vs Inter Club d'Escaldes (AND)
Winners of Pairing 10: NK Olimpija Ljubljana (SVN) vs FC Kairat Almaty (KAZ)

I'm not saying UEFA should rig the draw but it would be hilarious if Pats ended up playing and beating Silkeborg

[sbgawa]

Cliftonville the plum draw, keeps expenses down and should be beating them.
Could we be that lucky.....end up in round 3 through a bye and beating Cliftonville ??

[pineapple stu]

In fairness, ye should have no problems against any of those except maybe Varazdin, and even then the non-top Croatian sides aren't great. It's Varazdin's first time in Europe since 2011, and they've gone bankrupt and reformed since then.

For a second round pot, you could barely hand-pick anything better.

[ger121]

In fairness, ye should have no problems against any of those except maybe Varazdin, and even then the non-top Croatian sides aren't great. It's Varazdin's first time in Europe since 2011, and they've gone bankrupt and reformed since then.

For a second round pot, you could barely hand-pick anything better.

They finished 4th in the league, 14 points behind 3rd. As you said, there is a big drop off once you go below the 3 main clubs in Croatia. They’d also be well out of season.

Vardar might be decent too. They have played in Europe a lot, though 1st time since 2018/19. Very hard to know with Macedonian football. It can be a bit of a basket case.

[Mr A]

https://www.the42.ie/drogheda-united-conference-league-6735539-Jun2025/

This is absolutely a black and white one to me. An organisation owning multiple clubs has to be on top of those rules and any attempt to deflect blame elsewhere, including on the FAI, is absolute nonsense.

I feel very sorry for Drogheda fans, but zero sympathy for Trivela

[2 Year Contract]

The winner of Shels and Linfield will play Qarabag in the champions league. Tough one

[sbgawa]

Worst draw possible which i suppose is Gods way of balancing out getting the best draw possible in round 1
I wonder has any team in Europe had a greater disparity between travel to two rounds in Europe 166km to Belfast , 4382 to Baku

[pineapple stu]

Vardar might be decent too. They have played in Europe a lot, though 1st time since 2018/19. Very hard to know with Macedonian football. It can be a bit of a basket case.
More basket case in this case I think. Vardar haven't been in Europe for a few years, and were even relegated in the meantime. They stayed up two years in a playoff and were mid-table last season but won the Cup. Be very disappointing if Rovers lost to them I think.

[BigEars]

The winner of Shels and Linfield will play Qarabag in the champions league. Tough one

Yeah really tough draw. Probably the equivalent of the BATE Borisov side that Dundalk beat years back, and with no disrespect to this Shelbourne side, they're a few levels below where Dundalk were back then.

Qarabag might make the Champions League this year.

[sbgawa]

Best possible draw for Rovers. Assuming Cliftonville beat Joeys no travel costs and an out of season nifl team

[2 Year Contract]

Nonme Kalju of Estonia or Partizani of Albania for Pats. Definitely the best draw they could’ve got quality wise, albeit by far the worst travel wise

[total hoofball]

Worst draw possible which i suppose is Gods way of balancing out getting the best draw possible in round 1
I wonder has any team in Europe had a greater disparity between travel to two rounds in Europe 166km to Belfast , 4382 to Baku
Yes Qarabag is brutal for Shels on the field and off the field for travel/expenses but realistically UCL Round 2 was most likely going to be our ceiling maybe main thing Round 1 against Linfield is winnable with in play a bonus month of European football throughout August/shot at Conference League

If Shels do f-up against Linfield then it's the Conference League against Zalgiris (Lithuania) or Hamrun Spartans (Malta), former will be the most likely to get through at tie wouldn't be an easy opponent for Shels or Linfield

[ger121]

Good draw for Rovers and Pat’s if they progress. St Joseph’s have a chance against Cliftonville so would not rule them out at all.

Qarabag have been on the up the last few years, which is reflected in their co-efficient. Very long away trip but equally Shels can have a pop at home against an out of season side. Again, they have to get past Linfield first.

[sbgawa]

Yes Qarabag is brutal for Shels on the field and off the field for travel/expenses but realistically UCL Round 2 was most likely going to be our ceiling maybe main thing Round 1 against Linfield is winnable with in play a bonus month of European football throughout August/shot at Conference League

If Shels do f-up against Linfield then it's the Conference League against Zalgiris (Lithuania) or Hamrun Spartans (Malta), former will be the most likely to get through at tie wouldn't be an easy opponent for Shels or Linfield


Totaly agree the first round draw is the important one, you almost are expected to lose in CL2 and then EL 3 and have a final pop at groups in CL4.
Rovers overachieved last year by beating Celje and making EL4 thus guaranteeing groups a round earlier.
On balance Shels have prpobably had a good first two rounds draw wise on average.

If we end up in CL3 by virtue of a bye and playing (hopefully) an out of season Cliftonville we have been blessed......makes up for some bad draws in previous years

Rovers

[2 Year Contract]

Ben Boycott (incredible name for an owner of a football club by the way!) of Trivela has released another statement on Drogs getting thrown out.

https://droghedaunited.ie/open-letter-ben-boycott/

The pauper narrative and the quote about Drogheda having limited resources is utterly hilarious considering that is literally Trivela’s fault if true seen as they just bought yet another club among the several they already own. Maybe if they didnt own multiple clubs Drogheda wouldn’t have such “limited resources” and they’d be able to throw another few hundred grand at lawyers fees :)

[pineapple stu]

What is interesting - and what came out in the CAS summary too - is that the vote wasn't unanimous. It was 2-1.

Wonder why that was?