The great swindler Nikos Vamvakulas used to ask anyone who talked know-it-all about football, “Dude, do you know what’s inside the ball?” The constant answer to him was the word “air”, and immediately an amendment appeared on his part: “Wrong, buddy, there is no air. He’s got fame and money!”

This is what all the teams that are a little closer to success are chasing now, at the end of the season: the glory that comes with winning a title or a goal, and the money that profits from their success, mainly due to their participation. in European competition next year.

The process is no longer as simple as a few years ago, when everything was simple and clear, but there is much less money. Teams from outside the elite leagues that have taken direct places in the groups in three tournaments in Europe are forced to go through a series of difficult tests in the height of summer to find a place in the sun by qualifying for the group stage.

Even teams that are in a strong position at various stages of the qualifying process often fall prey to surprises and are eliminated early. With the current system, some of them now have a second or even a third chance every time and a step down after every disqualification. Those, for example, are excluded from his 2nd round Champions Leaguego to 3rd round Europa League and if they fail there, they will finish their rest in the playoffs of the Conference League. Sometimes it takes effort to… fail!