CE Europa

Europa

Full name	Club Esportiu Europa
Founded	1907
Ground	Nou Sardenya, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain (Capacity: 6,000)
Chairman	Guillaume de Bode
Manager	Pedro Dólera
League	3ª - Group 5
2009–10	3ª - Group 5, 8th
Home colours Away colours

Club Esportiu Europa is a Spanish/Catalan sports club, based in the Gràcia district of Barcelona. The club is best known for its football team who in 1928, along with city neighbours FC Barcelona and RCD Espanyol, were founder members of La Liga. During the late 1990s they won the Copa Catalunya twice in succession, on both occasions beating FC Barcelona in the final. They currently play in Group 5 of the Tercera División. The club also has one of the oldest basketball teams in Spain and on December 8, 1922 they hosted Laietà BC in the first ever organised basketball game played in the country. During the 1920s the basketball team were also Catalan champions on two occasions.

History

Golden Age

CE Europa was originally founded on June 5, 1907 following a merger between Madrid de Barcelona and Provençal. In 1919 the football team won the B division of the Campionat de Catalunya. After beating CE Jupiter 3-1 and 4-0 in a play-off for the title, they then defeated Athletic Sabadell 7-0 and 9-0 in a promotion play-off.

During the 1920s, after FC Barcelona, CE Europa emerged as the second strongest team in Catalonia. In both 1921 and 1922 they finished as runners-up in the Campionat de Catalunya before winning the title in 1923 under coach Ralph Kirby. After finishing level on points with FC Barcelona, they then beat them 1-0 in a title play-off. They subsequently represented Catalonia in the Copa del Rey and after defeating Sevilla FC and Sporting Gijon in earlier rounds, they lost 1-0 to Athletic Bilbao in the final at the Les Corts. Kirby subsequently went to coach FC Barcelona during the 1925-26 season.

CE Europa finished as runners-up in the Campionat a further four times during the 1920s and in 1928 their impression record saw them invited to join the very first La Liga. However they spent only three seasons in the Primera División and in 1931, despite the return of Ralph Kirby they were relegated to the Segunda División.

Catalunya FC

In 1931 CE Europa merged with Gràcia FC, formerly known as FC Espanya de Barcelona, and briefly became known as Catalunya FC. However the merger was not a success and during the 1931-32 season Catalunya FC, with three games to go, were unable to complete their fixture list due to financial reasons. As a result the fifteen games they had played in the Segunda División were annulled and the team were relegated to the Tercera División. The club then reverted to the name CE Europa in 1932.

Club Deportivo Europa

In 1941 a decree issued by Franco banned the use of non-Castilian names and the Catalan Club Esportiu was replaced with Club Deportivo. During this era the clubs only success came when they won the Copa Federación in 1944. This competition featured the teams from both the Segunda División and the Tercera División that had failed to qualify for the Copa del Rey.

During the late 1950s and 1960s the club enjoyed a brief revival. After twice winning the Moscardó Trophy, a competition for Catalan teams in the Tercera División, they were then Tercera División champions in both 1962 and 1963. On the latter occasion they succeeded in gaining promotion to the Segunda División. However by the end of the decade they back in the Tercera División after being relegated in 1968.

Copa Catalunya

In both 1997 and 1998 CE Europa won the Copa Catalunya, beating FC Barcelona in both finals. In the 1997 final they faced a team coached by Bobby Robson and including Amor and Hristo Stoichkov and won 3-1. In the 1998 final they held the likes of Amor, Sergi, Iván de la Peña, Fernando Couto, Juan Antonio Pizzi and Michael Reiziger to a 1-1 draw at the Mini Estadi. They then clinched the trophy 3-1 on penalties.

Honours

Football

• Copa del Rey
  • Runners-Up 1922-23
• Championat de Catalunya
  • Winners 1922-23: 1
  • Runners-Up 1920-21, 1921–22, 1923–24, 1926–27, 1927–28, 1928-29: 6
• Copa Catalunya: 2
  • 1996-97, 1997–98
• Championat de Catalunya B: 1
  • 1918-19
• Tercera División: 2
  • 1961-62, 1962–63
• Copa Federación: 1
  • 1943-44
• Moscardó Trophy: 2
  • 1958-59, 1962–63

Basketball

• Catalan Champions: 2
  • 1924, 1926

Season to season

Season Division Place Copa del Rey 1928/29 1ª 8th 1929/30 1ª 9th 1930/31 1ª 10th 1951/52 3ª 9th 1952/53 3ª 5th 1953/54 3ª 4th 1954/55 3ª 9th 1955/56 3ª 4th 1956/57 3ª 4th 1957/58 3ª 3rd 1958/59 3ª 5th 1959/60 3ª 10th 1960/61 3ª 5th 1961/62 3ª 1st

Season Division Place Copa del Rey 1962/63 3ª 1st 1963/64 2ª 3rd 1964/65 2ª 13th 1965/66 2ª 14th 1966/67 2ª 6th 1967/68 2ª 14th 1968/69 3ª 6th 1969/70 3ª 4th 1970/71 3ª 5th 1971/72 3ª 16th 1972/73 3ª 10th 1973/74 3ª 18th 1974/75 Regional — 1975/76 Regional —

Season Division Place Copa del Rey 1976/77 Regional — 1977/78 3ª 11th 1978/79 3ª 17th 1979/80 3ª 16th 1980/81 3ª 17th 1981/82 3ª 13th 1982/83 3ª 11th 1983/84 3ª 6th 1984/85 3ª 4th 1985/86 3ª 15th 1986/87 Regional — 1987/88 Regional — 1988/89 Regional — 1989/90 3ª 5th 1990/91 3ª 13th 1991/92 3ª 16th 1992/93 3ª 14th 1993/94 3ª 4th

Season Division Place Copa del Rey 1994/95 2ªB 19th 1995/96 3ª 2nd 1996/97 3ª 4th 1997/98 3ª 8th 1998/99 3ª 3rd 1999/00 3ª 6th 2000/01 3ª 3rd 2001/02 3ª 17th 2002/03 3ª 14th 2003/04 3ª 17th 2004/05 Regional — 2005/06 3ª 13th 2006/07 3ª 14th 2007/08 3ª 11th 2008/09 3ª 11th 2009/10 3ª 8th 2010/11 3ª —

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• 3 seasons in La Liga
• 5 seasons in Segunda División
• 1 seasons in Segunda División B
• 46 seasons in Tercera División
• 7 season in Categorías Regionales

Famous players

• Antonio de la Cruz
• Manel Cros
• Marià Gonzalvo
• Antoni Ramallets
• Eulogio Martínez
• Zoltán Czibor

see also Category:CE Europa footballers

Selected Former Managers

• Ralph Kirby (1920s, 1930s)
• Josep "Pep" Rovira
• Josep Moratella
• Tintín Márquez

Club Anthem

Europa, Europa, Europa sempre endavant !!
no tinguem por del que vindrà
el futur hem de guanyar !!

Europa, Europa, Europa sempre endavant !!
que la nostra fe en la victòria
a tothom faci vibrar
Portem amb orgull el blau escapulari
sentim els colors ben endintre del cor

Europa, Europa, Europa sempre endavant !!
que la nostra fe en la victòria
a tothom faci vibrar...
i que la nostra gran història
poc a poc poguem retrobar

EUROPA, EUROPA, EUROPA... ENDAVANT, ENDAVANT !!

Words and Music: Robert Baquero

Listen to the "hymn" by clicking here:

[1]

External links

• CE Europa Official Website
• Penya Torcida Escapulada
• Caliu Gracienc Supporters Club
• Stadium & Club featured on Blog
• Futbolme.com profile (Spanish)
• CE Europe stats in Campionat de Catalunya
• CE Europa in Copa Catalunya