2014–15 UEFA Europa League

44th season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA UEFA Europa League 2014–15 National_Stadium_Warsaw_aerial_view_2.jpg 275px The National Stadium in Warsaw hosted the final Qualifying:1 July – 28 August 2014Competition proper:18 September 2014 – 27 May 2015 Competition proper: 48+8Total: 162+33 54 ESP Sevilla 4 UKR Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk 205 548 Alan (Red Bull Salzburg)Romelu Lukaku (Everton)8 goals each 2013–14 2015–16 The 2014–15 UEFA Europa League was the 44th season of Europe's secondary club football tournament organised by UEFA, and the sixth season since it was renamed from the UEFA Cup to the UEFA Europa League. The final was played at the National Stadium in Warsaw, Poland,http://www.uefa.org/about-uefa/executive-committee/news/newsid=1954884.html Executive Committee decides hosts for 2015 finals UEFA.org 23 May 2013 with Spanish side and title holders Sevilla defeating Ukrainian side Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk 3–2 to win a record-breaking fourth title.https://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/may/27/dnipro-dnipropetrovsk-sevilla-europa-league-final-match-report Carlos Bacca double breaks Dnipro hearts for Sevilla to make history 28 May 2015 Guardian 28 May 2015 This season was the first where clubs must comply with UEFA Financial Fair Play Regulations in order to participate.http://www.uefa.org/about-uefa/organisation/congress/news/newsid=1955575.html EURO reflected key football values UEFA.org 24 May 2013 Moreover, this season was the first where a club from Gibraltar competed in the tournament, after the Gibraltar Football Association was accepted as the 54th UEFA member at the UEFA Congress in May 2013.http://www.uefa.org/about-uefa/organisation/congress/news/newsid=1956133.html Congress decisions bring Gibraltar on board UEFA.org 24 May 2013 They were granted one spot in the Europa League,http://www.uefa.org/about-uefa/executive-committee/news/newsid=1999120.html Strategic talks in Dubrovnik UEFA.org 20 September 2013 which was taken by College Europa, the runners-up of the 2014 Rock Cup. Starting from this edition, the UEFA Europa League winners automatically qualify for the subsequent UEFA Champions League season even if they do not qualify for the Champions League through their domestic performance.http://www.uefa.org/about-uefa/executive-committee/news/newsid=1956131.html Added bonus for UEFA Europa League winners UEFA.org 24 May 2013 Therefore, the winners of this tournament qualify for the 2015–16 UEFA Champions League. They are guaranteed to enter at least the play-off round, and since the group stage berth reserved for the Champions League title holders will not be used (the winners of the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League are guaranteed to qualify for the group stage through domestic performance), they will be elevated to enter the group stage via this berth.http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/news/newsid=2215121.html https://web.archive.org/web/20150228084925/http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/news/newsid=2215121.html dead February 28, 2015 How the Europa League winners will enter the Champions League UEFA 27 February 2015 On 17 July 2014, the UEFA emergency panel ruled that Ukrainian and Russian clubs would not be drawn against each other "until further notice" due to the political unrest between the countries.http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/ukrainian-russian-clubs-to-be-kept-apart-by-uefa-in-european-competitions-071714 Ukrainian, Russian clubs to be kept apart by UEFA in Euro competitions Fox Sports Another ruling centred in regional instability was also made where Israeli teams were prohibited from hosting any UEFA competitions due to the 2014 Israel–Gaza conflict (whilst the ruling ended a short time after the war, all the country's sides were eliminated before it ended).http://www.foxsports.com/soccer/story/uefa-bars-israeli-clubs-from-hosting-matches-while-conflict-continues-071714 UEFA bars Israeli clubs from hosting matches while conflict continues Fox Sports The rules regarding suspension due to yellow card accumulation were also changed such that all bookings expired on completion of the quarter-finals and were not carried forward to the semi-finals.http://www.uefa.org/about-uefa/news/newsid=2124836.html Emergency Panel decisions UEFA.org 17 July 2014 Moreover, this was the first season in which vanishing spray was used.Vanishing spray paint approved for UEFA games https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/0253-0d7fdd76e9aa-30a128a937cd-1000--vanishing-spray-paint-approved-for-uefa-games/ UEFA Union of European Football Associations 8 August 2014 Association team allocation A total of 195 teams from all 54 UEFA member associations participated in the 2014–15 UEFA Europa League. The association ranking based on the UEFA country coefficients was used to determine the number of participating teams for each association:http://www.uefa.org/MultimediaFiles/Download/Regulations/uefaorg/Regulations/02/09/88/37/2098837_DOWNLOAD.pdf Regulations of the UEFA Europa League 2014/15 Season UEFA 1 May 2014 Associations 1–6 each had three teams qualify. Associations 7–9 each had four teams qualify. Associations 10–51 (except Liechtenstein) each had three teams qualify. Associations 52–53 each had two teams qualify. Liechtenstein and Gibraltar each had one team qualify (Liechtenstein organised only a domestic cup and no domestic league; Gibraltar as per decision by the UEFA Executive Committee). The top three associations of the 2013–14 UEFA Respect Fair Play ranking each gained an additional berth. Moreover, 33 teams eliminated from the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League were transferred to the Europa League. The winners of the 2013–14 UEFA Europa League were given an additional entry as title holders if they did not qualify for the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League or Europa League through their domestic performance. However, this additional entry was not necessary for this season since the title holders qualified for European competitions through their domestic performance. Association ranking For the 2014–15 UEFA Europa League, the associations were allocated places according to their 2013 UEFA country coefficients, which took into account their performance in European competitions from 2008–09 to 2012–13.http://www.uefa.com/memberassociations/uefarankings/country/season=2013/index.html https://web.archive.org/web/20130706130150/http://www.uefa.com/memberassociations/uefarankings/country/season=2013/index.html dead 6 July 2013 Country coefficients 2012/13 UEFAhttps://kassiesa.net/uefa/data/method4/crank2013.html UEFA Country Ranking 2013 Bert Kassies Apart from the allocation based on the country coefficients, associations could have additional teams participating in the Europa League, as noted below: (FP) – Additional berth via Fair Play ranking (Norway, Sweden, Finland)https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/news/0215-0e8aae5584cb-75fd60969fff-1000--norway-top-respect-fair-play-table/ Norway, Sweden, Finland top Respect Fair Play table UEFA 8 May 2014 (UCL) – Additional teams transferred from the Champions League RankAssociationCoeff.TeamsNotes1ESP88.0253+1(UCL)2ENG82.963+1(UCL)3GER79.6144ITA64.147+2(UCL)5POR59.168+1(UCL)6FRA59.000+1(UCL)7UKR49.7584+1(UCL)8RUS46.332+1(UCL)9NED44.729+2(UCL)10TUR34.5003+1(UCL)11BEL34.400+2(UCL)12GRE34.000+2(UCL)13SUI28.925+1(UCL)14CYP26.833+1(UCL)15DEN25.700+2(UCL)16AUT25.375+1(UCL)17CZE23.725+1(UCL)18ROU23.024+1(UCL)RankAssociationCoeff.TeamsNotes19ISR22.8753+1(UCL)20BLR20.87521POL20.750+1(UCL)22CRO19.583+1(UCL)23SWE15.625+1(FP)24SCO15.191+1(UCL)25SRB14.625+1(UCL)26SVK14.208+1(UCL)27NOR14.175+1(FP)28BUL12.25029HUN11.750+1(UCL)30SVN9.70831GEO9.16632AZE8.541+1(UCL)33FIN8.508+1(FP)+1(UCL)34BIH7.83335MDA7.666+1(UCL)36IRL7.375RankAssociationCoeff.TeamsNotes37LTU6.500338KAZ5.958+1(UCL)39LVA5.79140ISL5.41641MNE5.25042MKD Macedonia5.25043ALB4.16644MLT3.95845LIE3.500146LUX3.375347NIR3.08348WAL2.58349EST2.20850ARM1.75051FRO1.58352SMR0.666253AND0.50054GIB0.0001 Distribution Since title holders Sevilla qualified for the Europa League through their domestic performance, the spot which they qualified for in the group stage (as the fifth-placed team of the 2013–14 La Liga) is vacated, and the following changes to the default allocation system were made:https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/news/0216-0e8b05faf44c-e2413eb3d2b9-1000--2014-15-uefa-europa-league/ 2014/15 access list and calendar UEFAhttps://kassiesa.net/uefa/access2014.html Access list 2014/2015 Bert Kassies 3 January 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140104090523/http://kassiesa.home.xs4all.nl/bert/uefa/access2014.html 4 January 2014 deadhttps://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/news/0250-0c510976592e-f223a6b627bb-1000--dynamo-kyiv-benefit-from-sevilla-success/ Dynamo Kyiv benefit from Sevilla success UEFA 27 May 2014 The domestic cup winners of association 7 (Ukraine) were promoted from the play-off round to the group stage. The domestic cup winners of association 16 (Austria) were promoted from the third qualifying round to the play-off round. The domestic cup winners of association 19 (Israel) were promoted from the second qualifying round to the third qualifying round. The domestic cup winners of associations 33 and 34 (Finland and Bosnia and Herzegovina) were promoted from the first qualifying round to the second qualifying round. Teams entering in this roundTeams advancing from previous roundTeams transferred from Champions LeagueFirst qualifying round(78 teams)20 domestic cup winners from associations 35–54 26 domestic league runners-up from associations 27–53 (except Liechtenstein) 29 domestic league third-placed teams from associations 22–51 (except Liechtenstein) 3 teams which qualified via Fair Play rankingSecond qualifying round(80 teams)15 domestic cup winners from associations 20–34 11 domestic league runners-up from associations 16–26 6 domestic league third-placed teams from associations 16–21 6 domestic league fourth-placed teams from associations 10–15 3 domestic league fifth-placed teams from associations 7–939 winners from the first qualifying roundThird qualifying round(58 teams)3 domestic cup winners from associations 17–19 6 domestic league third-placed teams from associations 10–15 3 domestic league fourth-placed teams from associations 7–9 3 domestic league fifth-placed teams from associations 4–6 (League Cup winners for France) 3 domestic league sixth-placed teams from associations 1–3 (League Cup winners for England)40 winners from the second qualifying roundPlay-off round(62 teams)9 domestic cup winners from associations 8–16 3 domestic league third-placed teams from associations 7–9 3 domestic league fourth-placed teams from associations 4–6 3 domestic league fifth-placed teams from associations 1–329 winners from the third qualifying round15 losers from the Champions League third qualifying roundGroup stage(48 teams)Title holders 6 domestic cup winners from associations 2–731 winners from the play-off round10 losers from the Champions League play-off roundKnockout phase(32 teams)12 group winners from the group stage 12 group runners-up from the group stage8 third-placed teams from the Champions League group stage Redistribution rules A Europa League place was vacated when a team qualified for both the Champions League and the Europa League, or qualified for the Europa League by more than one method. When a place was vacated, it was redistributed within the national association by the following rules: When the domestic cup winners (considered as the "highest-placed" qualifier within the national association with the latest starting round) also qualified for the Champions League, their Europa League place was vacated. As a result, either of the following teams qualified for the Europa League: The domestic cup runners-up, provided they had not yet qualified for European competitions, qualified for the Europa League as the "lowest-placed" qualifier (with the earliest starting round), with the other Europa League qualifiers moved up one "place" (the 2014–15 season was the last with this particular arrangement). Otherwise, the highest-placed team in the league which had not yet qualified for European competitions qualified for the Europa League, with the Europa League qualifiers which finished above them in the league moved up one "place". When the domestic cup winners also qualified for the Europa League through league position, their place through the league position was vacated. As a result, the highest-placed team in the league which had not yet qualified for European competitions qualified for the Europa League, with the Europa League qualifiers which finished above them in the league moved up one "place" if possible. For associations where a Europa League place was reserved for the League Cup winners, they always qualified for the Europa League as the "lowest-placed" qualifier (or as the second "lowest-placed" qualifier in cases where the cup runners-up qualified as stated above). If the League Cup winners had already qualified for European competitions through other methods, this reserved Europa League place was taken by the highest-placed team in the league which had not yet qualified for European competitions. A Fair Play place was taken by the highest-ranked team in the domestic Fair Play table which had not yet qualified for European competitions. Teams The labels in the parentheses show how each team qualified for the place of its starting round:https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/news/0253-0d7f49a4da6e-eefc39d036ea-1000--2014-15-uefa-europa-league-list-of-participants/ 2014/15 UEFA Europa League list of participants UEFA 29 August 2014https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/news/0216-0e8b163fcf41-b645f85614c3-1000--uefa-europa-league-includes-18-debutants/ UEFA Europa League includes 17 debutants UEFA 18 June 2014https://kassiesa.net/uefa/qual2014.html Qualification for European Cup Football 2014/2015 Bert Kassies 2014-01-03 2015-05-16 https://web.archive.org/web/20150516193913/http://kassiesa.home.xs4all.nl/bert/uefa/qual2014.html dead TH: Title holders CW: Cup winners CR: Cup runners-up LC: League Cup winners 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, etc.: League position P-W: End-of-season European competition play-offs winners FP: Fair Play UCL: Transferred from the Champions League GS: Third-placed teams from the group stage PO: Losers from the play-off round Q3: Losers from the third qualifying round Round of 32GRE Olympiacos (UCL GS)RUS Zenit Saint Petersburg (UCL GS)ITA Roma (UCL GS)POR Sporting CP (UCL GS)ENG Liverpool (UCL GS)BEL Anderlecht (UCL GS)NED Ajax (UCL GS)ESP Athletic Bilbao (UCL GS)Group stageESP SevillaTH (5th)FRA Guingamp (CW)ROU Steaua București (UCL PO)FRA Lille (UCL PO)ENG Everton (5th)UKR Dynamo Kyiv (CW)SVK Slovan Bratislava (UCL PO)ITA Napoli (UCL PO)GER VfL Wolfsburg (5th)SCO Celtic (UCL PO)TUR Beşiktaş (UCL PO)ITA Fiorentina (4th)AUT Red Bull Salzburg (UCL PO)BEL Standard Liège (UCL PO)POR Estoril (4th)DEN AaB (UCL PO)DEN Copenhagen (UCL PO)Play-off roundESP Villarreal (6th)NED PEC Zwolle (CW)AZE Qarabağ (UCL Q3)SRB Partizan (UCL Q3)ENG Tottenham Hotspur (6th)NED Twente (3rd)HUN Debrecen (UCL Q3)CYP AEL Limassol (UCL Q3)GER Borussia Mönchengladbach (6th)TUR Trabzonspor (4th)Note TURMDA Sheriff Tiraspol (UCL Q3)UKR Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (UCL Q3)ITA Internazionale (5th)BEL Lokeren (CW)CRO Dinamo Zagreb (UCL Q3)NED Feyenoord (UCL Q3)POR Nacional (5th)GRE PAOK (3rd)POL Legia Warsaw (UCL Q3)SUI Grasshopper (UCL Q3)FRA Saint-Étienne (4th)SUI Zürich (CW)KAZ Aktobe (UCL Q3)GRE Panathinaikos (UCL Q3)UKR Metalist Kharkiv (3rd)CYP Apollon Limassol (3rd)ISR Maccabi Tel Aviv (UCL Q3)RUS Rostov (CW)DEN Midtjylland (3rd)FIN HJK (UCL Q3)RUS Lokomotiv Moscow (3rd)AUT Rapid Wien (2nd)CZE Sparta Prague (UCL Q3)Third qualifying roundESP Real Sociedad (7th)FRA Lyon (5th)BEL Club Brugge (3rd)CZE Viktoria Plzeň (2nd)ENG Hull City (CR)UKR Chornomorets Odesa (5th)GRE Atromitos (4th)ROU Astra Giurgiu (CW)GER Mainz 05 (7th)RUS Dynamo Moscow (4th)SUI Young Boys (3rd)ISR Ironi Kiryat Shmona (CW)ITA Torino (7th)Note ITANED PSV Eindhoven (4th)CYP Ermis Aradippou (4th)POR Rio Ave (CR)TUR Karabükspor (7th)Note TURDEN Brøndby (4th)Second qualifying roundUKR Zorya Luhansk (7th)Note UKRCZE Mladá Boleslav (3rd)POL Ruch Chorzów (3rd)NOR Molde (CW)RUS Krasnodar (5th)CZE Slovan Liberec (4th)CRO Rijeka (CW)BUL CSKA Sofia (2nd)NED Groningen (P-W)ROU Petrolul Ploiești (3rd)CRO Hajduk Split (3rd)HUN Győri ETO (2nd)Note HUNTUR Bursaspor (8th)Note TURROU CFR Cluj (5th)Note ROUSWE IF Elfsborg (CW)SVN Gorica (CW)BEL Zulte Waregem (P-W)ISR Hapoel Be'er Sheva (2nd)SWE AIK (2nd)GEO Zestaponi (2nd)GRE Asteras Tripolis (5th)ISR Hapoel Tel Aviv (4th)SCO St Johnstone (CW)AZE Neftçi (CW)SUI Luzern (4th)BLR Shakhtyor Soligorsk (CW)SCO Motherwell (2nd)FIN RoPS (CW)CYP Omonia (5th)BLR Dinamo Minsk (3rd)SRB Vojvodina (CW)BIH Sarajevo (CW)DEN Esbjerg (5th)BLR Neman Grodno (4th)SRB Jagodina (3rd)Note SRBAUT Grödig (3rd)POL Zawisza Bydgoszcz (CW)SVK Košice (CW)AUT St. Pölten (CR)POL Lech Poznań (2nd)SVK Trenčín (2nd)First qualifying roundCRO RNK Split (4th)BIH Željezničar (4th)MNE Čelik Nikšić (3rd)WAL Aberystwyth Town (CR)SWE IFK Göteborg (3rd)MDA Zimbru Chișinău (CW)MNE Budućnost Podgorica (4th)EST Nõmme Kalju (2nd)SCO Aberdeen (3rd)MDA Tiraspol (2nd)MKD Turnovo (2nd)EST Sillamäe Kalev (3rd)SRB Čukarički (5th)Note SRBMDA Veris Chișinău (3rd)MKD Metalurg Skopje (3rd)EST Santos Tartu (CR)SVK Spartak Trnava (3rd)IRL Sligo Rovers (CW)MKD Shkëndija (4th)ARM Pyunik (CW)NOR Rosenborg (2nd)IRL Dundalk (2nd)ALB Flamurtari (CW)ARM Shirak (2nd)NOR Haugesund (3rd)IRL Derry City (4th)Note IRLALB Kukësi (2nd)ARM Mika (3rd)BUL Litex Lovech (3rd)LTU Atlantas (2nd)ALB Laçi (3rd)FRO Víkingur Gøta (CW)BUL Botev Plovdiv (CR)LTU Ekranas (3rd)MLT Birkirkara (2nd)FRO ÍF (2nd)HUN Ferencváros (3rd)LTU Banga (CR)MLT Hibernians (3rd)FRO B36 (3rd)HUN Diósgyőr (CR)Note HUNKAZ Shakhter Karagandy (CW)MLT Sliema Wanderers (CR)SMR Libertas (CW)SVN Koper (2nd)KAZ Astana (2nd)LIE Vaduz (CW)SMR Folgore (2nd)SVN Rudar Velenje (3rd)KAZ Kairat (3rd)LUX Differdange 03 (CW)AND Sant Julià (CW)GEO Sioni Bolnisi (3rd)LVA Jelgava (CW)LUX Fola Esch (2nd)AND UE Santa Coloma (2nd)GEO Chikhura Sachkhere (CR)LVA Daugava Daugavpils (3rd)LUX Jeunesse Esch (4th)GIB College Europa (CR)Note GIBAZE Inter Baku (2nd)LVA Daugava Rīga (4th)Note LVANIR Glenavon (CW)NOR Tromsø (FP)http://www.fotball.no/nff/Fair-Play/2014/Tromso-far-plass-i-Europa-League/ Tromsø får plass i Europa League Norges Fotballforbund 8 May 2014 noAZE Gabala (3rd)ISL Fram (CW)NIR Linfield (2nd)SWE IF Brommapojkarna (FP)https://svenskfotboll.se/cuper-och-serier/arkiv/cuper-serier/2014/05/bp-klart-for-europakval/ BP klart för europakval Svenska Fotbollförbundet 9 May 2014 svFIN Honka (2nd)ISL FH (2nd)NIR Crusaders (3rd)FIN MYPA (FP)http://www.palloliitto.fi/uutiset/suomen-palloliitto/mypa-eurooppa-liigan-karsintoihin MYPA Eurooppa-liigan karsintoihin Suomen Palloliitto 8 May 2014 fi 8 May 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140707130201/http://www.palloliitto.fi/uutiset/suomen-palloliitto/mypa-eurooppa-liigan-karsintoihin 7 July 2014 deadFIN VPS (3rd)ISL Stjarnan (3rd)WAL Airbus UK Broughton (2nd)BIH Široki Brijeg (2nd)MNE Lovćen Cetinje (CW)WAL Bangor City (P-W) Notably three teams took part in the competition that did not currently play in their national top-division. They were Santos Tartu (third tier), St. Pölten (second) and Tromsø (second). Notes disc Note GIB Gibraltar (GIB): A meeting was held by the Gibraltar Football Association to decide whether College Europa (runners-up of the 2014 Rock Cup) or Manchester 62 (runners-up of the 2013–14 Gibraltar Premier Division) would represent Gibraltar in the 2014–15 UEFA Europa League.Storm brewing over which football team should go into the UEFA Europa League http://www.panorama.gi/localnews/headlines.php?action=view_article&article=11848&offset=0 Panorama.gi 13 May 2014 13 May 2014 The association had to back-track on a decision taken at the beginning of the season as to who would qualify for European competitions, as they were mistaken to go against the competition rules.GFA accepts it was mistaken on Europa League http://www.gbc.gi/news/3672/gfa-accepts-it-was-mistaken-on-europa-league Panorama.gi 14 May 2014 14 May 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140517152312/http://www.gbc.gi/news/3672/gfa-accepts-it-was-mistaken-on-europa-league 17 May 2014 dead Note HUN Hungary (HUN): Újpest, the winners of the 2013–14 Magyar Kupa, would have qualified for the Europa League second qualifying round, but failed to obtain a UEFA licence.http://www.nemzetisport.hu/europa_liga/ujpest-nincs-uefa-licenc-a-diosgyor-indul-az-el-ben-2339437 Újpest: nincs UEFA-licenc, a Diósgyőr indul az El-ben nemzetisport.hu 30 May 2014 hu As a result, Győri ETO, the runners-up of the 2013–14 Nemzeti Bajnokság I, entered the second qualifying round instead of the first qualifying round, and the first qualifying round berth was given to Diósgyőr, the runners-up of the cup. Note ITA Italy (ITA): Parma, the sixth-placed team of the 2013–14 Serie A, would have qualified for the Europa League third qualifying round, but failed to obtain a UEFA licence.http://www.coni.it/it/notizie/primo-piano/20503-licenza-uefa-parma.html ALTA CORTE DI GIUSTIZIA: Licenze UEFA, respinto il ricorso del Parma Comitato Olimpico Nazionale Italiano 29 May 2014 it 29 May 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140529190555/http://www.coni.it/it/notizie/primo-piano/20503-licenza-uefa-parma.html 29 May 2014 dead As a result, the berth was given to Torino, the seventh-placed team of the league.https://www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/Serie-A/29-05-2014/alta-corte-respinto-ricorso-parma-torino-europa-league-80787185344.shtml Respinto il ricorso del Parma. Torino in Europa League. Ghirardi: "Calcio finito" La Gazzetta dello Sport it Galdi Maurizio 29 May 2014 1 July 2020 Note LVA Latvia (LVA): Skonto, the runners-up of the 2013 Latvian Higher League, would have qualified for the Europa League first qualifying round, but had been excluded from participating by the UEFA Club Financial Control Body due to overdue payables.http://www.uefa.org/protecting-the-game/club-licensing-and-financial-fair-play/news/newsid=2083607.html Metalurh, Skonto excluded; Petrolul cleared UEFA.org 4 April 2014 As a result, the berth was given to Daugava Rīga, the fourth-placed team of the league. Note IRL Republic of Ireland (IRL): Derry City are a club based in Northern Ireland, but participate in the Europa League through one of the berths for Republic of Ireland as they finished fourth in the 2013 League of Ireland Premier Division (any coefficient points they earn count toward Republic of Ireland and not Northern Ireland). Note ROU Romania (ROU): Dinamo București, the fourth-placed team of the 2013–14 Liga I, would have qualified for the Europa League second qualifying round, but failed to obtain a UEFA licence.http://www.sport.ro/liga-1/adio-europa-comisia-de-apel-a-respins-cererea-clubului-pentru-licenta-dinamo-nu-joaca-in-europa-league.html ADIO Europa League! Comisia de Apel a respins cererea clubului Dinamo pentru licenta europeana! Sport.ro 28 May 2014 ro As a result, the berth was given to CFR Cluj, the fifth-placed team of the league. Note SRB Serbia (SRB): Red Star Belgrade, the champions of the 2013–14 Serbian SuperLiga, would have qualified for the Champions League second qualifying round, but was banned by UEFA for breaching UEFA Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations.https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/0216-0e8b0ded2b20-fec108c2bd1b-1000--crvena-zvezda-excluded-from-champions-league/ Crvena zvezda excluded from UEFA Champions League UEFA 6 June 2014 As a result, Partizan, the runners-up of the league, entered the Champions League instead of the Europa League second qualifying round. Moreover, Jagodina, the third-placed team of the league, entered the Europa League second qualifying round instead of the first qualifying round, and the first qualifying round berth was given to Čukarički, the fifth-placed team of the league. Note TUR Turkey (TUR): Fenerbahçe, the champions of the 2013–14 Süper Lig, would have qualified for the Champions League, but was banned by UEFA because of the 2011 Turkish football match-fixing scandal.https://www.uefa.com/news-media/news/020a-0e85256ea48e-68ad3bfb3d2f-1000--decisions-on-besiktas-fenerbahce-steaua/ Decisions on Beşiktaş, Fenerbahçe, Steaua UEFA 25 June 2013https://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/23769348 Fenerbahce: Turkish side lose match-fixing ban appeal BBC Sport 28 August 2013 As a result, Beşiktaş, the third-placed team of the league, entered the Champions League instead of the Europe League play-off round, and Trabzonspor, the fourth-placed team of the league, entered the Europa League play-off round instead of the third qualifying round. Moreover, Sivasspor, the fifth-placed team of the league, and Eskişehirspor, the runners-up of the 2013–14 Turkish Cup, which would have entered the Europa League third qualifying round and second qualifying round respectively, were also banned by UEFA due to match-fixing.https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/news/0216-0e8b0eabc759-343b681eb01a-1000--decisions-on-sivasspor-and-eskisehirspor/ Decisions on Eskişehirspor and Sivasspor UEFA 6 June 2014 The two berths were given to Karabükspor and Bursaspor, the seventh- and eighth-placed teams of the league respectively, as Kasımpaşa, the sixth-placed team of the league, failed to obtain a UEFA licence. Note UKR Ukraine (UKR): Metalurh Donetsk, the sixth-placed team of the 2013–14 Ukrainian Premier League, would have qualified for the Europa League second qualifying round, but had been excluded from participating by the UEFA Club Financial Control Body due to overdue payables. As a result, the berth was given to Zorya Luhansk, the seventh-placed team of the league. Round and draw dates The schedule of the competition was as follows (all draws were held at UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, unless stated otherwise).https://kassiesa.net/uefa/calendar2014.html UEFA European Football Calendar 2014/2015 Bert Kassies 3 January 2014 https://web.archive.org/web/20140104090449/http://kassiesa.home.xs4all.nl/bert/uefa/calendar2014.html 4 January 2014 dead PhaseRoundDraw dateFirst legSecond legQualifyingFirst qualifying round23 June 20143 July 201410 July 2014Second qualifying round17 July 201424 July 2014Third qualifying round18 July 201431 July 20147 August 2014Play-offPlay-off round8 August 201421 August 201428 August 2014Group stageMatchday 129 August 2014(Monaco)18 September 2014Matchday 22 October 2014Matchday 323 October 2014Matchday 46 November 2014Matchday 527 November 2014Matchday 611 December 2014Knockout phaseRound of 3215 December 201419 February 201526 February 2015Round of 1627 February 2015https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/0253-0d042488b6be-4c4583c3ced2-1000--media-accreditation-for-club-knockout-draws/ Media accreditation for club knockout draws UEFA 8 December 201412 March 201519 March 2015Quarter-finals20 March 201516 April 201523 April 2015Semi-finals24 April 20157 May 201514 May 2015Final27 May 2015 at National Stadium, Warsaw Matches in the qualifying, play-off, and knockout rounds may also be played on Tuesdays or Wednesdays instead of the regular Thursdays due to scheduling conflicts. Qualifying rounds 2014–15 UEFA Europa League qualifying 2014–15 UEFA Europa League qualifying phase In the qualifying rounds and the play-off round, teams were divided into seeded and unseeded teams based on their 2014 UEFA club coefficients,http://www.uefa.com/memberassociations/uefarankings/club/season=2014/index.html https://web.archive.org/web/20131004233528/http://www.uefa.com/memberassociations/uefarankings/club/season=2014/index.html dead October 4, 2013 Club coefficients 2013/14 UEFAhttps://kassiesa.net/uefa/data/method4/trank2014.html UEFA Team Ranking 2014 Bert Kassieshttps://kassiesa.net/uefa/seedel2014.html https://archive.today/20140424211539/http://www.xs4all.nl/~kassiesa/bert/uefa/seedel2014.html dead 24 April 2014 Seeding in the Europa League 2014/2015 Bert Kassies and then drawn into two-legged home-and-away ties. Teams from the same association could not be drawn against each other. First qualifying round The draw for the first and second qualifying rounds was held on 23 June 2014.https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/news/0253-0d7f3fa18264-3acb4b81e146-1000--former-winners-and-debutants-learn-fate/ Former winners and debutants learn fate UEFA 23 June 2014 Q1 Second qualifying round Q2 Third qualifying round The draw for the third qualifying round was held on 18 July 2014.https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/news/0217-0e8b68714c96-1c88e18aa19c-1000--first-tests-lined-up-for-psv-lyon-and-la-real/ First tests lined up for PSV, Lyon and La Real UEFA 18 July 2014 Q3 Play-off round 2014–15 UEFA Europa League qualifying#Play-off round 2014–15 UEFA Europa League play-off round The draw for the play-off round was held on 8 August 2014.https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/news/0253-0d7fddcbddce-8cb544c123c5-1000--former-winners-learn-europa-league-play-off-fate/ Former winners learn Europa League play-off fate UEFA 8 August 2014 PO Group stage 2014–15 UEFA Europa League group stage Europe 650 right Teams that have qualified for the group stage of the 2014–15 UEFA Europa League8px Red: Group A; 8px Yellow: Group B; 8px Green: Group C; 8px Dark green: Group D; 8px Purple: Group E; 8px Pink: Group F; 8px Blue: Group G; 8px Orange: Group H; 8px Brown: Group I; 8px Deep pink: Group J; 8px Cyan: Group K; 8px Spring green: Group L. Europe 37.384046 -5.970587 75 Sevilla Blue pog.svg right Europe 39.944128 -0.103472 75 Villarreal Red pog.svg right Europe 53.438813 -2.966394 75 Everton Orange pog.svg right Europe 51.603333 -0.065833 75 Tottenham Green pog.svg left Europe 52.432454 10.803895 75 Wolfsburg Orange pog.svg right Europe 51.174530 6.385407 75 M'gladbach Red pog.svg right Europe 45.47808 9.124 75 Inter Pink pog.svg right Europe 45.109444 7.641111 75 Torino Yellow pog.svg bottom Europe 43.780607 11.282712 75 Fiorentina Cyan pog.svg right Europe 40.827924 14.192718 75 Napoli Brown pog.svg left Europe 38.715862 -9.406453 75 Estoril Purple pog.svg right Europe 41.362756 -8.740186 75 Rio Ave DeepPink pog.svg right Europe 48.566157 -3.164449 75 Guingamp Cyan pog.svg right Europe 50.6278 3.0583 75 Lille Orange pog.svg left Europe 45.460833 4.390278 75 St. Étienne Pink pog.svg left Europe 50.433386 30.52164 75 Dyn. Kyiv DeepPink pog.svg left Europe 49.980819 36.261545 75 Metalist SpringGreen pog.svg right Europe 48.460333 35.032472 75 Dnipro Pink pog.svg right Europe 45.025267 38.999426 75 Krasnodar Orange pog.svg right Europe 55.885397 37.454324 75 Dyn. Moscow Purple pog.svg right Europe 51.441781 5.467442 75 PSV Purple pog.svg right Europe 51.893868 4.523181 75 Feyenoord Blue pog.svg top Europe 41.074435 28.765670 75 Beşiktaş Green pog.svg right Europe 41.003958 39.705234 75 Trabzonspor SpringGreen pog.svg bottom Europe 50.609927 5.543525 75 Standard Blue pog.svg bottom Europe 51.21667 3.233333 75 Brugge Yellow pog.svg top Europe 51.116389 3.987222 75 Lokeren SpringGreen pog.svg left Europe 40.613814 22.972251 75 PAOK Cyan pog.svg right Europe 37.522252 22.377949 75 Asteras Green pog.svg left Europe 37.987192 23.754104 75 Panathinaikos Purple pog.svg right Europe 46.95 7.45 75 Young Boys Brown pog.svg left Europe 47.382794 8.504364 75 Zürich Red pog.svg top Europe 34.700916 33.022821 75 Apollon Red pog.svg right Europe 57.0515 9.8991 75 AaB DeepPink pog.svg left Europe 55.702659 12.572361 75 Copenhagen Yellow pog.svg right Europe 47.816314 12.998065 75 Salzburg Dark Green 004040 pog.svg top Europe 50.08333 14.41666 75 Sparta Brown pog.svg right Europe 44.412789 26.040344 75 Steaua DeepPink pog.svg top Europe 43.878036 25.96786 75 Astra Dark Green 004040 pog.svg bottom Europe 53.6375 27.7420 75 Din. Minsk Cyan pog.svg right Europe 52.220461 21.040628 75 Legia SpringGreen pog.svg top Europe 45.339202 14.380959 75 Rijeka Blue pog.svg right Europe 45.82 15.98 75 Din. Zagreb Dark Green 004040 pog.svg right Europe 55.849711 -4.205589 75 Celtic Dark Green 004040 pog.svg right Europe 44.788742 20.459086 75 Partizan Green pog.svg right Europe 48.166178 17.142502 75 Slovan Brown pog.svg right Europe 39.98 46.93 75 Qarabağ Pink pog.svg left Europe 60.1875 24.9225 75 HJK Yellow pog.svg right The draw for the group stage was held in Monaco on 29 August 2014.https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/news/0257-0def7f6fd4fd-59f218d9b914-1000--sevilla-face-feyenoord-standard-and-rijeka/ Sevilla face Feyenoord, Standard and Rijeka UEFA 29 August 2014 The 48 teams were allocated into four pots based on their 2014 UEFA club coefficients, with the title holders being placed in Pot 1 automatically.https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/news/0218-0e8bf2f7a5d1-61a317307884-1000--uefa-europa-league-sides-set-for-monaco-draw/ UEFA Europa League sides set for Monaco draw UEFA 29 August 2014 They were drawn into twelve groups of four, with the restriction that teams from the same association could not be drawn against each other. In each group, teams played against each other home-and-away in a round-robin format. The matchdays were 18 September, 2 October, 23 October (one home match of Metalist Kharkiv played on 22 October), 6 November, 27 November, and 11 December 2014. A total of 26 national associations were represented in the group stage. VfL Wolfsburg, Torino, Feyenoord, Guingamp, Saint-Étienne, Rio Ave, Dynamo Moscow, Krasnodar, Lokeren, Asteras Tripolis, Qarabağ, HJK, Astra Giurgiu, Dinamo Minsk and AaB made their debut appearances in the UEFA Europa League group stage (not counting UEFA Cup group stage appearances), although VfL Wolfsburg had already competed in the 2009–10 UEFA Europa League knockout phase after a third place in the 2009–10 UEFA Champions League group stage. The group winners and runners-up advanced to the round of 32, where they were joined by the eight third-placed teams of the 2014–15 UEFA Champions League group stage. See 2014–15 UEFA Europa League group stage#Tiebreakers for tiebreakers if two or more teams are equal on points. Red Bull Salzburg's 21 goals scored set a new Europa League group stage record.https://www.welt.de/sport/article135276145/Red-Bull-Salzburg-beherrscht-die-Europa-League.html Red Bull Salzburg beherrscht die Europa League Die Welt 11 December 2014 de Group A Group A yes no_hide_class_rules Group B Group B yes no_hide_class_rules Group C Group C yes no_hide_class_rules Group D Group D yes no_hide_class_rules Group E Group E yes no_hide_class_rules Group F Group F yes no_hide_class_rules Group G Group G yes no_hide_class_rules Group H Group H yes no_hide_class_rules Group I Group I yes no_hide_class_rules Group J Group J yes no_hide_class_rules Group K Group K yes no_hide_class_rules Group L Group L yes no_hide_class_rules Knockout phase 2014–15 UEFA Europa League knockout phase In the knockout phase, teams played against each other over two legs on a home-and-away basis, except for the one-match final. The mechanism of the draws for each round was as follows: In the draw for the round of 32, the twelve group winners and the four third-placed teams from the Champions League group stage with the better group records were seeded, and the twelve group runners-up and the other four third-placed teams from the Champions League group stage were unseeded. The seeded teams were drawn against the unseeded teams, with the seeded teams hosting the second leg. Teams from the same group or the same association could not be drawn against each other. In the draws for the round of 16 onwards, there were no seedings, and teams from the same group or the same association could be drawn against each other. Bracket Bracket Round of 32 R32 Round of 16 R16 Quarter-finals QF Semi-finals SF Final F Statistics Statistics exclude qualifying rounds and play-off round. Top goalscorers thumb|Despite leaving European football halfway through the season, Red Bull Salzburg's Alan was the joint top scorer RankPlayerTeamGoalsMinutes played1BRA AlanAUT Red Bull Salzburg8423BEL Romelu LukakuENG Everton6343COL Carlos BaccaESP Sevilla7765ARG Gonzalo HiguaínITA Napoli8335GRE Stefanos AthanasiadisGRE PAOK6516FRA Guillaume HoarauSUI Young Boys605ESP Jonathan SorianoAUT Red Bull Salzburg613ARG Luciano ViettoESP Villarreal732ISR Lior RefaelovBEL Club Brugge78910ROU Raul RusescuROU Steaua București5147ENG Harry KaneENG Tottenham Hotspur422CZE David LafataCZE Sparta Prague440CRO Andrej KramarićCRO Rijeka505FRA Claudio BeauvueFRA Guingamp720SEN Demba BaTUR Beşiktaş729BEL Kevin De BruyneGER VfL Wolfsburg981 Source: UEFA.comhttp://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/season=2015/statistics/round=2000587/players/type=topscorers/index.html https://archive.today/20151005091823/http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/season=2015/statistics/round=2000587/players/type=topscorers/index.html dead October 5, 2015 Statistics — Tournament phase — Player statistics — Goals UEFA 27 May 2015 Top assists RankPlayerTeamAssistsMinutes played1ARG Luciano ViettoESP Villarreal6732UKR Andriy YarmolenkoUKR Dynamo Kyiv69333TUR Colin Kazim-RichardsNED Feyenoord5560BEL Kevin De BruyneGER VfL Wolfsburg59815GRE Vasilis TorosidisITA Roma4297ENG Leighton BainesENG Everton4450ROU Alexandru ChipciuROU Steaua București4450SVN Kevin KamplAUT Red Bull Salzburg4540ISR Lior RefaelovBEL Club Brugge4789TUR Gökhan TöreTUR Beşiktaş4886 Source: UEFA.comhttp://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/season=2015/statistics/round=2000587/players/type=assists/index.html https://web.archive.org/web/20151112201906/http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/season=2015/statistics/round=2000587/players/type=assists/index.html dead November 12, 2015 Statistics — Tournament phase — Player statistics — Assists UEFA 27 May 2015 Squad of the Season The UEFA technical study group selected the following 18 players as the squad of the tournament:https://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/news/0221-0e90f099e494-c4c594a1b21a-1000--experts-uefa-europa-league-squad-of-the-season/ Experts' UEFA Europa League squad of the season UEFA 28 May 2015 Pos. PositionPlayerTeamGK GoalkeeperUKR Denys BoykoUKR Dnipro DnipropetrovskESP Sergio RicoESP SevillaDF DefenderBRA DouglasUKR Dnipro DnipropetrovskALG Faouzi GhoulamITA NapoliFRA Timothée KolodziejczakESP SevillaESP Raúl AlbiolITA NapoliESP Aleix VidalESP SevillaMF MidfielderESP Borja ValeroITA FiorentinaBEL Kevin De BruyneGER VfL WolfsburgARG Éver BanegaESP SevillaSVK Marek HamšíkITA NapoliPOL Grzegorz KrychowiakESP SevillaUKR Ruslan RotanUKR Dnipro DnipropetrovskCMR Stéphane MbiaESP SevillaFW ForwardBRA AlanAUT Red Bull SalzburgCOL Carlos BaccaESP SevillaARG Gonzalo HiguaínITA NapoliUKR Yevhen KonoplyankaUKR Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk See also 2014–15 UEFA Champions League 2015 UEFA Super Cup References External links 2014–15 UEFA Europa League 2014/15 UEFA Europa League season review autocollapse 2014–15 2