This map is an attendance map, using gate figures from each club’s domestic league. Most of the clubs from the old Iron Curtain have paltry attendances, compared to the western European clubs. Shakhtar Donetsk is drawing well, though. It may be surprising to some that the two Turkish clubs draw so well: Fenerbahce drawing almost 40,000 per game, and Besiktas at 26,000. Finally, it’s amazing to consider that a club drawing less than 5,000 could make this level of competition, but that’s what Slavia Prague did. I don’t think this is what new UEFA chief Michel Platini had in mind, though, when he said he wants to see more clubs from the lower rated leagues qualify. I hope not.
