English Clubs In European Football
English football clubs have entered European association football competitions (UEFA Champions League/European Cup, UEFA Cup/Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, UEFA Intertoto Cup and the now defunct UEFA Cup Winners Cup) since 1955, when Birmingham City and London XI took part in the inaugural Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. The European Cup started in 1955–56, but there was no English representative during that inaugural season as Chelsea had been persuaded to withdraw by The Football League. Prior to that, England had been pioneers in establishing international competitions, with the Sir Thomas Lipton Trophy, which was won by West Auckland F.C. when they beat Juventus in 1909. English teams have participated every year in Europe, except for the years between 1985 and 1990, when, in the aftermath of the Heysel Stadium Disaster, all English clubs were banned from Europe by UEFA. Liverpool F.C., who had been playing at the Heysel Stadium against Juventus F.C. of Italy, were banned for six years, until 1991. Several teams have managed to play in Europe while being outside the top flight, including more recently Millwall F.C. and Ipswich Town.
Read more about English Clubs In European Football: Who Qualifies For Europe, European Champions
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