Although they are not yet a part of it, and could end up being a part of it as a Championship club, the joy that Birmingham fans possess over winning a domestic Cup and in the process earning themselves the chance to compete against some of Europe's best clubs is surely proof enough that the Europa League provides enough happiness and excitement to enough fans to ensure that its future is secure and the chance of respect levels towards the competition in the wider footballing world increasing in time is still there.
With some critics desperate to stick a dagger into the Europa League whenever possible, the competition needs as many clubs as possible to be interested in competing to the best of their ability. However, even though Birmingham may be a decent example of a side appearing to be a bit plucky and really keen to compete in the competition next year, there are still far too many sides that are not bothered enough about the competition to feel it's worthwhile fielding their strongest starting line-ups and the Europa League odds reflect this.
With this scenario likely to leave clubs like Birmingham and their loyal fans feeling short-changed as they look forward to meeting a European giant only to discover that just a few decent first team players have even been picked to compete, it's clear that there are real problems that need to be addressed.
As a result, it seems vital that Uefa start punishing teams that don't take the competition seriously by introducing bans for sides that field weakened starting line-ups, and this applies not just in the Europa League, but also in the Champions League. If UEFA start to do this properly, then it won't just be the likes of Birmingham who are looking forward to the Europa League, but also the whole of Europe.
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