Europa League: Stuttgart to Face Porto, Freiburg to Play Belgian Genk

European club competitions are entering the decisive phase, with draws in Nyon determining the round of 16 pairings for the Europa League and Europa Conference League. The spotlight is on VfB Stuttgart, who advanced to the next round amid a refereeing scandal. The German team lost 0-1 at home to Celtic Glasgow, their first home defeat of the season, but a 3-0 win in the first leg secured their progression. Controversy surrounded decisions by the VAR system, which detected offsides by millimeters, denying the hosts a chance for a more favorable result. In the next phase, Stuttgart will face the decorated FC Porto, a matchup experts consider one of the most intriguing of the round. Another German representative, SC Freiburg, after eliminating their previous opponents, drew KRC Genk. The Belgian team features Tobias Lawal and Niklas Sattlberger, adding extra flavor to this clash in the context of players from German-speaking markets. Meanwhile, experienced striker Marko Arnautović said goodbye to the competition, as his Crvena Zvezda Belgrade fell to French side Lille. The decisive goals for the French team were scored by world football veteran Olivier Giroud. For many clubs, current successes in European competitions are crucial for building their position in the UEFA Ranking, which directly translates into future broadcast and prize revenues. The Europa League format evolved from the UEFA Cup, becoming the second most important club competition on the continent since 2009, offering the winner a direct ticket to the Champions League. The European adventure of Swiss clubs ended dramatically. Lausanne-Sport, after a home defeat to Sigma Olomouc, was eliminated from the Europa Conference League. This result is particularly painful for the Swiss federation, which for the first time in years will have no representative in the spring stages of European competitions. As a reward for eliminating the Swiss, Sigma Olomouc will face the Bundesliga surprise package – FSV Mainz 05. German media highlight Mainz as the favorite, but the Czech team has already proven its unpredictability. This rivalry continues a series of matches where smaller clubs from Central Europe aim to break the dominance of the wealthiest leagues. „Ich finde es unfassbar. Wir brauchen eine gewisse Toleranzschwelle bei diesen Millimeter-Entscheidungen.” (I find it unbelievable. We need a certain tolerance threshold for these millimeter decisions.) — Ermedin Demirović

Perspektywy mediów: Progressive media criticize the excessive mechanization of football by VAR, pointing out how millimeter-level analyses kill emotion and the spirit of sport. Conservative press defends the technology as a tool introducing objective fairness, arguing that the laws of the game are equal for everyone.