7th tier club hoping to defend European cup title with final announced at the San Siro

7th tier club FC United of Manchester are hoping to defend European cup title with the Fenix Trophy final announced at the San Siro.

What is this competition? Well, it’s a European competition for semi-professional and amateur clubs.

The FENIX Trophy 2022/2023 is built on a formula divided into two phases: a group stage and the Final 4. The group stage consists of three groups of 3 teams each, in which every club will face its opponents home and away, amounting to a total of 4 games. This stage will run from October until June.

The FENIX Trophy Final 4 will take place in a location to be announced in June and will feature the 3 group winners and the second best among the three groups facing each other in semi-finals and finals  to define the final ranking. The games will take place on Friday and Sunday, but the whole weekend will be an occasion for a celebration of football and friendship.

CLUBS:
Brera FC (Milan, Italy)
Prague Raptors FC (Prague, Czech Republic)
KSK Beveren (Beveren, Belgium)
FC United of Manchester (Manchester, UK)
Afc DWS (Amsterdam, Netherlands)
FK Miljakovac (Belgrade, Serbia)
Krakow Dragoons FC (Krakow, Poland)
BK Skjold (Copenaghen, Denmark)
CD Cuenca-Mestallistes 1925 (Valencia, Spain)

The holders, FC United, already qualify for the Milan Final 4 and after a narrow win in Valencia, KSK Beveren took the runner-up spot but will have a nervous wait to see if 6 points is enough to snatch the best 2nd place spot.

🗨️ Club Captain Adam Dodd spoke after hearing the news about the @FenixTrophy finals venue

Full details ⤵️https://t.co/amu9rvJh3U#lettheFENIXfly

🟥🟥⬜⬛⬜🟥🟥 https://t.co/a44fUX0Kif pic.twitter.com/DeW29EFheW

— FC United of Manchester (@FCUnitedMcr) April 19, 2023

CLUB STATEMENT:

Dig out your Italian phrase books, grab a bottle of Aperol Spritz and prepare to gaze once more at the majestic Piazza del Duomo because FC United are heading to northern Italy again as we’re pleased to announce that the Fenix Trophy Final 4 – featuring the three group winners and the best second placed team in this season’s Fenix Trophy – will take place in Milan on Wednesday 7th and Thursday 8th June.

The two semi-finals will be played in the historic Arena Civica – home of Brera FC and the oldest stadium in Europe – on the evening of Wednesday 7th June with the first semi-final kicking off at 6pm and followed by the second semi-final which will start at 8.30pm. More than three hundred FC supporters made the trip to Milan a year ago for our group match against Brera in the wonderful Arena Civica and it was a belting Euro away day in one of Europe’s finest cities.

And then, in what is quite a coup for the Fenix Trophy, the final will be held at the San Siro, the largest stadium in Italy and one of Europe’s most iconic football venues, at 5pm on Thursday 8th June and will be preceded by the third place play-off match which will kick off at 12pm. With its capacity of nearly eighty thousand the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in Milan’s San Siro district should be able to accommodate the supporters of the four teams competing in the Fenix Trophy Final 4. And it is, of course, the home of AC Milan and Inter Milan and is a ground that many Reds of a certain age will have visited before with Manchester United having taken huge away followings there on the way to the treble in 1999 and again in 2005.

Indeed there’s even an intriguing little bit of FC United history connected to the San Siro too. Those supporters with a penchant for banners and flags will no doubt recall the ‘We’re Too Sexy for Milan’ flag in ‘99 but adjacent to it in the San Siro that evening was a flag that’s been a familiar presence at FC United – the ‘Colwyn Bay Red Army’ flag which has adorned the walls of Course You Can Malcolm at Bury and Broadhurst Park for many years.

The San Siro has hosted many prestigious matches over the years including Champions League and UEFA Cup finals and it was also one of the venues for the 1990 World Cup when it hosted six matches including the opening match of the tournament when Cameroon famously upset the odds by beating the defending champions Argentina 1-0 on 8th June 1990 – exactly thirty-three years before this year’s Fenix Trophy Final on the same ground.

FC United are currently the only team in the Fenix Trophy to have secured a place in the Final 4, having won all four of our group games, and there are six other teams still in with a chance of qualifying with group matches due to conclude in May – last season’s runners-up Prague Raptors and AFC DWS from Group B; BK Skjold, Brera and FK Miljakovac from a still wide open Group C; and KSK Beveren from our own Group A.

The draw for the semi-finals will be a free draw so FC United could draw any of the other three teams – including KSK Beveren from our own group – and it will take place soon after the group games have concluded in May. The order in which the matches are played will be determined later on and will be dependent on the travel arrangements of the various teams.

Further details will be announced in due course once the group games have concluded in May.

November 15th 2022 BROADHURST PARK – MANCHESTER (UK)
FC United of Manchester – KSK Beveren 4-1 (18′ Linney (U), 31′ Donohue (U), 60′ Vergauwen (B), 74′ Ennis (U), 92′ Gabidon (U))

November 21st 2022 SPORTPARK SLOTEN – AMSTERDAM (NETHERLANDS)
AFC DWS – Krakow Dragoons FC 4-1 (10′, 25′ Pinas (DWS), 47′ Cruz (KD), 75′ Bourne (DWS), 90′ Esajas (DWS))

November 22nd 2022 VOZDOVAC STADION – BELGRADE (SERBIA)
FK Miljakovac – Brera FC 3-5 (1′ Sonko (B), 15′ Marchetti (B), 23′, 31′, 63′ Abo El Ata (B), 54′ Petkovic (M), 72′ Nicovic (M), 90′ Rankovic (M))

November 24th 2022 LINDENLAAN G TERREIN – BEVEREN (BELGIUM)
KSK Beveren – CD Cuenca-Mestallistes 1925 4-1 (14′, 21′ Nicanor (B), 16′ Valdzis (C), 82′ Put (B), 90′ Segers (B))

November 30th 2022 VOZDOVAC STADION – BELGRADE (SERBIA)
FK Miljakovac – BK Skjold 0-5 (34′ Forum-Hansen, 57′ Huseini, 72′, 82′ Madsen, 89′ Puggaard)

February 14th 2032 LINDENLAAN G TERREIN – BEVEREN (BELGIUM)
KSK Beveren – FC United of Manchester 2-3 (49’ De Vos (B), 66’, 68’ Dyer (U), 82’ Ennis (U), 89’ Schelfhout (B))

March 4th 2023 – KS PRADNICZANKA – KRAKOW (POLAND)
Krakow Dragoons – Prague Raptors 1-5 (40’, 59’, 89’ Darvishi (R), 56’ Smits (D), 69’ Harris-James (R), 86’ Damen (R))

March 7th 2023 BROADHURST PARK – MANCHESTER (UK)
FC United of Manchester – CD Cuenca-Mestallistes 1925 12-0 (11’ Sangare (U), 15’, 81’ Griffiths (U), 19’ Barugh (U), 35’ Gabidon (U), 53’, 58’ Da Costa (U), 59’ Hall (U), 65’ Vaughan (U), 72’, 90’ Wollerton (U), 82’ Ennis (U))

March 9th 2023 ARENA CIVICA – MILAN (ITALY)
Brera FC – BK Skjold 2-4 (10’, 60’, 76’ Forum-Hansen (S), 26’ Marchetti (B), 74’ Brenna (B), 81’ Zeqiri (S))

March 21st 2023 QUATRE CARRERES – VALENCIA (SPAIN)
CD Cuenca-Mestallistes 1925 – FC United of Manchester 2-5 (8’ Ennis (U), 25’ Carlos (C), 29’ Potts (U), 66’, 73’ Cane (U), 76’ Jones (U), 84’ Pedro (C))

March 29th 2023 KS GARBARNIA – KRAKOW (POLAND)
Krakow Dragoons – AFC DWS 1-2 (28’ Rogers (DWS), 31’ Forabosco (KD), 85’ Amireshan (DWS))

April 1st 2023 SPORTPARK SLOTEN – AMSTERDAM (NETHERLANDS)
AFC DWS – Prague Raptors 0-0

April 18th 2023 QUATRE CARRERES – VALENCIA (SPAIN)
CD Cuenca-Mestallistes 1925 – KSK Beveren 1-2

May 3rd 2023 ZLICIN ARENA – PRAGUE (CZECH REPUBLIC)
Prague Raptors – Krakow Dragoons

May 10th 2023 OSTERBRO STADION – COPENAGHEN (DENMARK)
BK Skjold – FK Miljakovac

May 16th 2023 ARENA CIVICA – MILAN (ITALY)
Brera FC – FK Miljakovac

May 24th 2023 OSTERBRO STADION – COPENAGHEN (DENMARK)
BK Skjold – Brera FC

English non league club become first ever winners of new European tournament

This is what fans said with the 7th tier club hoping to defend European cup title with the final announced at the San Siro…

@tellyjohn: Flights booked. Amazing that you guys have acquired the greatest football stadium in the world for the final games of the world’s greatest football tournament.

@moorzy_96: Fuck me, outrageous 🇾🇪

@LeonFCUM: San Siro away day 😍

@85Aston: This is tempting and frankly ridiculous football based adventure

@realioRD: Pinch me!! I’m gonna be watching @FCUnitedMcr play in the SAN SIRO!! 🇮🇹⚽🇾🇪🏆✈️

@ginger_michael: Jesus. That is superb!

@sp_who3: Football. Bloody hell!

@Fox3velt_FCUM: Truly insane, better start booking the days off 🇾🇪🇾🇪

@gigticket: Going to watch FC United of Manchester @FCUnitedMcr in the San Siro. This is simply amazing. Well done @FenixTrophy organisers.

@tellyjohn: Now that’s a Euro away trip!

@sootysvoice: Holy shit @FCUnitedMcr in the San Siro 😍😍

@leamingtonfalpy: FC United at the San Siro 😲🔥🔥

@dan_batemannn: The team I own are playing at the San Siro!!! Can’t wait for this!!!! 👏🏻🇾🇪 #MakingFriendsNotMillionaires @FCUnitedMcr

@liamalexanderj: Imagine getting an invite to something like this…FC United fans must be buzzing. #buryafc

@footyfollower63: Flights booked looking forward to the games

@anotherredrebel:
Not sure how you pulled that off but well played.
The Fenix is rising.

@LRbix: What the fuck

@lucasfcutd: Fuck GCSE’s wow

@jt_itfc: finally get to go to the san siro 😍