Red Star BelgradeSince the UEFA succumbed to the pressures of capitalism 15 years ago, only one team from Eastern Europe have managed to win a European trophy: it was CSKA Moscow, one of the clubs for whom the liberalization of the business of sport actually worked out fine.
For the teams with smaller markets than Russia or the Ukraine, UEFA's and the EU-endorsed measures meant falling further and further behind the teams from the wealthiest countries.
While the sporting and political institutions allowed different countries to preserve their national interests against the interests of international capital, the Eastern teams were too close to their Western rivals...too close for comfort.
The teams that have reached the finals of European competitions include MTK Budapest, Ferencvaros, Ujpesti Dozsa and Videoton of Hungary, Slovan Bratislava of Czechoslovakia, Dinamo Zagreb, Partizan and Red Star of Yugoslavia, Dinamo Moscow, Kiev and Tbilisi of the Soviet Union, Partizan and Steaua of Romania.
Sparta PragueMany teams came close, like Spartak Moscow, Slavia and Sparta Prague, CSKA Sofia, Dinamo Bucharest, Hajduk Split, OFK Belgrade, Radnicki Nis and Vasas Budapest.
In the future it seems such achievements will only be within reach of the Russians and the Ukrainians, whose tycoons can hold their own against their western counterparts.
Let's take a walk down memory lane and call on some of the greatest Eastern clubs from the past half century.
Red Star's Marakana Stadium* Honved Budapest (1950-1956). The backbone of the magnificent Hungarian national team that won the Olympic gold and the World Cup silver medal. Honved's golden era ended before the pan-european cups were formed.
Great players: Puskas, Bozsik, Czibor, Kocsis, Lorant, Grosics
* MTK Budapest (1951-1964). The second greatest club from the golden era of Magyar football. The first Hungarian club to reach a European club cup final in the1964 Cup Winners' Cup.
Famous matches: MTK 6 Anderlecht 3; MTK 4 Celtic 0; MTK 3 Sporting Lisbon 3
Great players: Palotas, Hidegkuti, Lantos, Zakarias
* Ferencvaros Budapest (1965-1975). A European soccer powerhouse of the sixties and the seventies now languish in Division 2 due to financial irregularities. Won the Fairs' Cup (the predecessor to the UEFA Cup) in 1965. Played in the 1968 Fairs' Cup finals and 1975 Cup Winners' Cup finals.
Famous matches: Ferencvaros 2 Manchester Utd 1; Roma 1 Ferencvaros 2; Juventus 0 Ferencvaros 1; Liverpool 0 Ferencvaros 1
Great players: Albert (1967 Golden Ball), Juhasz, Fenyvesi, Nyilasi
* Dinamo Zagreb (1960-1969). The greatest generation of the Zagreb
Lions and one of the greatest teams in Slavic soccer. Won the Fairs' Cup in 1967, reached the Fairs' Cup finals in 1963. Also won four Yugoslav Cups.
Famous matches: Porto 1 Dinamo 2; Bayern 1 Dinamo 4; Dinamo 3 Juventus 0; Dinamo 4 Eintracht Frankfurt 0; Dinamo 2 Leeds 0; Dinamo 4 Hamburger
SV 0
Great players: Drazan Jerkovic, Zambata, Rora, Belin, Lamza, Skoric, Cercek
* Slovan Bratislava (1968-1970). Slovakian miracle. Beat Barcelona in the 1969 Cup Winners' Cup finals and dominated Czechoslovak soccer at the turn of the decade.
Famous matches: Slovan 4 Porto 0; Torino 0 Slovan 1; Slovan 2 Torino 1; Slovan 3 Barcelona 2
Great players: Vencel, Hrivnak, Moder, Jan Capkovic, Jozef Capkovic
The Letna Stadium, home of Sparta Prague* Dinamo Kiev (1972-1977). Probably the greatest Slavic team in history. Won the 1975 Cup Winners' Cup and Supercup. Defeated Bayern Munchen three times in four games. Led by coach Valeriy Lobanovski.
Famous matches: Dinamo 3 PSV 0; Dinamo 3 Ferencvaros 0; Bayern 0 Dinamo 1; Dinamo 2 Bayern 0 (Supercup); Dinamo 2 Bayern 0 (Champions' Cup)
Great players: Blohin (1975 Golden Ball), Buryak, Kolotov, Onischenko, Veremeyev.
* Dinamo Tbilisi (1978-1982). The Caucasian "Brazilians" enthralled a European audience in the late seventies and early eighties. Won the Soviet League in 1979, the FA Cup in 1980 and the Cup Winners' Cup in 1981.
Famous matches: Inter 0 Dinamo 1; Dinamo 2 Napoli 0; Dinamo 3 Liverpool 0; West Ham 1 Dinamo 4; Dinamo 3 Feyenoord 0
Great players: Kipiyani, Shengeliya, Chivadze, Sulakvelidze, Daraseliya, Gutsayev
* CSKA Sofia (1980-1983). Powerhouse team of the Bulgarian Army. In their four consecutive Champions' Cup appearances they kicked out two European champions - Nottingham Forest and Liverpool.
Famous matches: CSKA 1 Nottingham Forest 0; Nottingham Forest 0 CSKA 1; CSKA 2 Liverpool 0; CSKA 4 Bayern 3; CSKA 2 Monaco 0
Great players: Mladenov, Dimitrov, Slavkov, Zdravkov, Yonchev
* Steaua Bucharest (1984-1989). The Romanian Army Club. Enjoyed support from Ceausescu. Won the 1986 Champions' Cup and Supercup; reached the 1989 Champions' Cup finals. Won five consecutive domestic leagues.
Famous matches: Steaua 3 Anderlecht 0; Barcelona 0 Steaua 0 (0-2 pen); Steaua 2 Rangers 0; Steaua 3 Spartak Moscow 0; Steaua 5 IFK Göteborg 1; Steaua 4 Galatasaray 0
Great players: Duckadam, Bölöni, Piturca, Belodedici, Balint, Hagi
* Dinamo Kiev (1985-1988). Oleg Blohin and coach Lobanovski were the only links with the fabled seventies team. Again they won a Cup Winners Cup (1986) and reached a Champions' Cup semi (1987). Almost the entire team took part in the 1988 European Championship and finished second.
Famous matches: Rapid Vienna 1 Dinamo 4; Dinamo 3 Atletico Madrid 0; Dinamo 3 Celtic 1; Besiktas 1 Dinamo 5
Great players: Belanov (1986. Golden Ball), Zavarov, Besonov, Rats, Blohin, Mihaylichenko, Protasov.
* Red Star (1987-1992). Built in the Steaua style by recruiting the best players from all over Yugoslavia. Won the 1991 Champions' Cup and the Intercontinental Cup, the only Slavic team ever to have done so. Four Yugoslav championships in five years.
Famous matches: Milan 1 Red Star 1; Red Star 3 Rangers 0; Bayern 1 Red Star 2; Red Star 0 Marseille 0 (5-3 pen); Red Star 3 Colo Colo 0
Great players: Prosinecki, Savicevic, Pancev, Stojkovic, Jugovic, Mihajlovic, Binic
* Dinamo Kiev (1995-1999). The third big Kiev generation. No European trophy this time but plenty of memorable displays.
Famous matches: Barcelona 0 Dinamo 4; Dinamo 3 Barcelona 0; Dinamo 3 Arsenal 1; Dinamo 2 Real Madrid 0; Dinamo 3 Bayern 3
Great players: Shevchenko, Rebrov, Kalitvintsev, Luzhnyi, Kosovski
* CSKA Moskva (2002-2006). The first Russian club with a European trophy, the 2005 UEFA Cup. The most successful Russian team of the current decade with three championships, three FA Cups and three Supercups!
Famous matches: CSKA 2 Rangers 1; Paris SG 1 CSKA 3; CSKA 4 Parma 0; Sporting Lisbon 1 CSKA 3
Great players: Ignyashevich, Zhirkov, Daniel Carvalho, Olic, Vagner Love
(epet Arena) aka the Letna Stadium, home of Sparta Prague