In a small airport in Tirana, people were standing around, waiting for their baggage. Most of them had arrived on flights from the same location – Rome. According to reports, some 50,000 fans had arrived from Italy, not including the locals and foreigners that joined them. They were all coming to support their club in the Europa Conference League final.
It’s been 31 years since AS Roma played in their last European final. Their recent successes have included Champions League and Europa League semi-finals, but they had always failed to make it one step further.
It's not just AS Roma that has struggled. Despite dominating the UEFA Cup in the 90s', no Italian club managed to even reach the final until Inter in 2020.
The problem is that this tournament has a bad reputation - it was called the new Intertoto Cup, dedicated only for minnows. Teams that had previously played with their substitutes in the Europa League led to rumours that now they will play with the reserves.
Representing number 🔟#UECLfinal pic.twitter.com/kcdG009gQw
— UEFA Europa Conference League (@europacnfleague) May 25, 2022
However both of this year’s finalists, Roma and Feyenoord, began their European campaign in the Europa Conference League qualifiers - they didn’t drop down from the Europa League. While Roma started in the play-offs, against Turkey’s Trabzonspor, Feyenoord started their journey a month before with a shocking 0-0 draw against Drita from Kosovo.
Feyenoord fans were slowly starting to gather in their fan zone near Skanderbeg Square. But it was nothing compared to what was happening across town in Grand Park, next to the stadium. It had become a ‘Roma zone’, with attractions for the fans and even broadcasting the match for those who wouldn't be able to enter the stadium.
Out of the 50,000 who had travelled there, only a few were lucky enough to have tickets for the final. There are only around 21,000 seats in the Arena Kombëtare, and some of these were already in the touts' hands.
One was holding a sign, announcing that he had three tickets available. When I asked whether he was afraid of the police officers standing next to him, he laughed and said “they would do the same thing if they had tickets".
Ticket prices have rocketed in the days leading up to the final and, for some, the cost of a single ticket could be equivalent to three or four months' salary.
👊👊👊#UECLfinal pic.twitter.com/hpPQAGMtJJ
— AS Roma (@OfficialASRoma) May 25, 2022
In the stadium, both sets of fans were ready to put on a show. With continuous singing and pyrotechnics, it seems that they didn’t care about the Europa Conference League’s rep. They know that it's their chance to win a European trophy.
The locals were almost unanimously sided with Roma. Some Albanians feel a connection to Italian culture and language. Those who need another reason saw it in Marash Kumbulla, Roma’s Italian-born centre back that plays for the Albania national team.
One of the biggest heroes of the match was not on the pitch. After tumultuous periods in charge of Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham, Jose Mourinho came to Rome, quite possibly hoping to recover his career.
Mourinho’s time as Roma manager didn’t start well - remember that infamous 6-1 defeat Bodø/Glimt - but now he is officially the first manager to win all three major European competitions.
At the end of the match, the award ceremony mirrored any other tournament: the engraving of the winner’s name on the trophy, accompanied by the fans' celebrations all the way back to the Grand Park.
La coppa è a casa!#UECL pic.twitter.com/0XX44PzqyL
— AS Roma (@OfficialASRoma) May 26, 2022
When UEFA decided to award an outright trophy to one of the Intertoto Cup final winners, nobody thought about it, but on the other side, the Conference League drew massive attention. If Tottenham can recall their defeat against NS Mura in the group stage, there could be a feeling of disappointment, but those who understood the importance of the tournament from the start managed to reach the final stages.
Both Roma and Feyenoord will play in the Europa League group stage next season, and other European stalwarts will replace them in Europe’s ‘third tier’. As more teams slowly start to see the real value of the Conference League, we can expect to see more of a spotlight on a tournament previously considered “just for minnows”.
Edited by Alex Smith
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