And so with minimum fuss, the glorified UEFA Champions league made its long awaited bow on Multi-TV. Russia’s Zenith St Petersburg and Auxerre of French Ligue 1 were the selected pair of actors on this the greatest of stages, ably hosted by both the Adom TV and Joy Sports pre-match discussion platforms, at the same time. Twenty teams plied different routes - some more arduous than others, depending on how one looks at it - in search of a place in the lucrative group stage of Europe’s most prestigious competition- any “serious” club’s Holy grail. Not that the “seriousness” or otherwise of clubs battling it out at the foot of European leagues or hovering idly in midstream totally oblivious of the goings on above or beneath them, is in doubt. No, far from that; clubs (most clubs anyway) simply cut their coats of ambition according to the pecuniary cloth available. Others far less mindful of such financial prudence cut lavish coats from borrowed cloth. For them a trophy haul of Champions League proportions is more than enough reason to spend even more. Not sure if Portsmouth-perfecters in chief of the latter group- regard the depressing fates of administration and life in the 2nd division as just reward for winning the 2008 FA Cup. The inconceivable journey to European glory for some began as far back as 29th July- the 3rd qualifying stage. Tired limbs already running on half-empty tanks this early in the season have clawed their way to this, the penultimate stage of this elitist competition, and know there really can be no turning back. After all, for modern day players with super inflated egos, the Champions League is the one tournament that separates the footballing “haves from the have-nots”; the great from the not so great; the wheat from the chaff. It’s an obsessive dream for most players, realized by only a few. An estimated 109 million viewers watched the Champions League final last year- a damning statistic indicative of the huge following this competition commands. Joy Sports and Adom TV, on Multi-TV mindful of this palpable craving for Europe’s biggest competition, have duly obliged. Europe comes to life Tuesday’s via the Champion’s league and again on Thursday’s courtesy of the UEFA Europa League. The Champions League fiesta continues on both channels (Joy Sports & Adom TV) next week. On Tuesday, at 6:20 GMT, Sampdoria welcome Werder Bremen to the Luigi Ferraris, where they will be desperate to overturn a 1-3 first-leg deficit. On Wednesday, Tottenham Hotspurs, smarting from an embarrassing 3-2 defeat to unheralded Young Boys of Switzerland, will undoubtedly play the match of their lives in the second leg at White Hart Lane. The draw for the group stages of the Champions League takes place on the 14th and 16th September, 2010, after which the 32 chosen teams can then plot their paths to ultimate glory. Multi-TV will provide its share of soccer fans with coverage every step of the way. By Joseph K.b. Hanson/Multi-TV Sports Desk/Ghana