UEFA has already set a little-known rule that the winner of this year’s Europa League must follow.
Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur booked their places in the 2024/25 Europa League final with convincing victories against Athletic Club and Bodo/Glimt on Thursday to set up a mouth-watering all-Premier League affair in Bilbao, Spain on May 21.
Ahead of the final, concerns around travel and ticketing have already been raised, with some calling for the showpiece to be moved to a neutral venue in England, although this seems highly unlikely if previous examples are anything to go by.
Of course, winning the competition is a massive achievement in itself but with the added incentive of Champions League qualification, both Ange Postecoglou and Ruben Amorim will be keen to secure their first trophy at their respective clubs.
And the side that does lift the 15kg trophy – the heaviest of all UEFA silverware – later this month, will be under strict rules.
According to UEFA’s website, “the original trophy, which is used for the official presentation ceremony at the final and at other official events approved by UEFA, remains in UEFA’s keeping and ownership at all times. A full-size replica trophy, the UEFA Europa League winners’ trophy, is awarded to the winning club”.
The Europa League trophy (Credit:Getty)
And that’s not all, as the regulations go on to explain how “replica trophies awarded to winners of the competition (past and current) must remain within the relevant club’s control at all times and may not leave the club’s country without UEFA’s prior written consent (in this respect, clubs must comply with any request from the UEFA administration to confirm the location of the club’s replica trophies).
“Clubs must not permit a replica trophy to be used in any context where a third party (including sponsors and other commercial partners) is granted visibility or in any other way that could lead to an association between any third party and the trophy and/or the competition”.
The winning team will be presented with 50 gold medals while the runners-up will receive 50 silver medals for their efforts.
Winners will also receive a huge financial boost, with BBC Sport reporting that United could get around £100m in additional revenue.
However, Red Devils head coach Amorim, 40, insisted it “money is not the most important thing” after United’s 4-1 (7-1 on aggregate) victory on Thursday (May 8).
“The money is not the most important thing,” Amorim said. “To win a title as a coach brings a feeling, a feeling we can do good things, that we can give something to our fans.
“I agree it is not just playing Champions League next season. It is that feeling we can change things.”
