Cliftonville on course for Conference League clash with Dublin giants while Dungannon face trip to Liechtenstein
Adam McKendry and Keith Bailie
The winners of Linfield and Shelbourne will face Azerbaijan champions Qarabag in the second qualifying round of the Champions League.
The first round will be staged at the home of the winners of the All-Ireland clash on July 22/23, with the second leg in Baku the following week.
The Blues are no strangers to Qarabag. In 2019, the Azerbaijan side knocked Linfield out of the Play-Off round of the Europa League on away goals after a memorable two-legged encounter that saw a Shayne Lavery-inspired Linfield record a famous win at Windsor Park.
Qarabag, who reached the league phase of the Europa League last term, will be favourites to progress to the third round, regardless of who wins the Irish derby. The first leg of that clash will be played at Tolka Park in Dublin on July 8/9 with the second leg in Belfast on July 15/16.
If, however, Linfield lose to Shelbourne they will drop into the second round of the Conference League. There they will play either Zalagris of Lithuania or Hamrun Spartans of Malta, with the second leg in Belfast.
Linfield against Shelbourne may not be the only all-Ireland clash of the summer. If Cliftonville defeat St Joseph's in the first round of the Conference League, they will face Shamrock Rovers in the second round, with the first leg at Solitude.
Irish Cup winners Dungannon Swifts went straight into the second round, where they will face Liechtenstein side FC Vaduz, with the first leg at home. Vaduz play in the second tier of Swiss football but qualified for Europe by winning the Liechtenstein national cup.
Should Larne overcome Latvian side Auda in the first round, they will play either Sheriff Tiraspol of Moldova or FC Prishtina of Kosovo in the second round. The Invermen will have home advantage in the second leg.
The first leg of the Conference League second round games will be played on Thursday 24 July with the second leg on Thursday 31 July.
39 minutes ago
Dungannon Swifts will face FC Vaduz of Lichtenstein. The home leg will be the second game for Dungannon.
Vaduz play in the second tier of the Swiss league. They qualified by winning the Lichtenstein national cup.
40 minutes ago
The winners of FC Sheriff Tiraspol and FC Prishtina will play the winners of Larne versus Auda. Larne, should they progress, will have home advantage in the first leg.
43 minutes ago
Now it's time for the main pathway. The winner of Joseph's and Cliftonville will feature in this group. They could potentially draw Shamrock Rovers or Dundee United.
50 minutes ago
The losers of Shelbourne and Linfield will face Zalagris of Lithuania or Hamrun Spartans of Malta in the second qualifying round of the Conference League. The second leg will be staged at Windsor Park, should Linfield lost to Shels.
52 minutes ago
Up first, it's the champions path. The loser of the Champions League tie between Linfield and Shelbourne will drop into this round.
54 minutes ago
The first leg of these ties will be played on Thursday July 24 with the second leg on Thursday July 31.
Today 11:57 AM
The draw for the second qualifying round of the Conference League will get underway shortly.
Dungannon Swifts will learn their opponents, as will Cliftonville and Larne should they progress through the first round. Linfield will also feature in this draw. They will drop into the Conference League if they lose their first round Championship League clash with Shelbourne.
Today 11:15 AM
Some fixture news. Cliftonville's first round, first leg Conference League game with St Joseph's will be played at Europa Point Stadium on Tuesday, July 8 - two days earlier than expected. The second leg will take place at Solitude on Thursday, July 17.
Today 10:21 AM
Our liveblog will return at 1pm when Irish Cup winners Dungannon Swifts will learn their opponents in the second qualifying round of the Conference League. Cliftonville and Larne will also learn their second round opponents, should they successfully navigate the first qualifying round.
Today 10:20 AM
Dates for Qarabag clash
Just to recap, the winners of Linfield versus Shelbourne will play Qarabag of Azerbaijan in the second qualifying round of the Champions League.
The first leg will be staged at either Windsor Park or Tolka Park on July 22/23 with the second leg in Azerbaijan on July 29/30
Today 10:17 AM
Rangers will pay Panathinaikos in the same round, with the first leg at Ibrox.
Today 10:15 AM
Qarabag await the winners of Irish derby
The winners of Linfield versus Shelbourne will play Qarabag of Azerbaijan in the second qualifying round of the Champions League!
The first leg will be staged in either Belfast or Dublin, with the winners of the all-Ireland tie away in the second leg.
Today 10:13 AM
The winners of Linfield and Shelbourne are unseeded for this round
Today 10:12 AM
Here we go, it's time for Group 3 - the one that features Linfield and Shelbourne
Today 10:09 AM
We're on to regional group two. Linfield and Shelbourne are also not in this group.
Stay with us!
Today 10:08 AM
There draw is underway, but Uefa are currently running through a different regional group.
Today 10:03 AM
The draw is about to begin. The first leg of these ties will be staged on July 22 or 23, with the second leg on July 29 and 30
Today 09:59 AM
Champions League draw
Hello and welcome to the draw for the second qualifying round of the Champions League, where we will find out who the winners of Linfield and Shelbourne will face in the next round.
The Irish pair's potential opponents include Slovan Bratislavia, Qarabag, Steaua Bucharest or Inter Club d'Escaldes, Olimpija Ljubljana and Kairat Almaty
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Scotsman
2 hours ago
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Inside Hearts' EGM that approved Tony Bloom deal - where the optimists outnumbered brave dissenters
Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... On the day Hibs were drawn against FC Midtjylland in Europa League qualifying, Hearts saw their own match-up confirmed. It's now very nearly official: Tony Bloom owns a stake in the Tynecastle club, after shareholders overwhelmingly approved the Brighton & Hove Albion owner's proposed £9.86 million investment. Chairperson Ann Budge expects the deal to be completed within 'the next seven to ten days'. Unlike the Hibs v Midtjylland pairing, this isn't a temporary coming together. Rather, it's hoped, the financial contribution from Bloom, together with his and his associates' expertise, will help sustain the Tynecastle club for many years to come. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad But perhaps underlining the way football is going, and how the tentacles of certain rich and increasingly tech-orientated owners are being wrapped around the game, the identity of Hibs' European opponents does seem relevant. They were until fairly recently owned by Matthew Benham, Bloom's old pal. They met when Bloom recruited Benham at the betting firm he set up in the early 2000s in London. Hearts fans have overwhelmingly approved a near £10m investment from Brighton owner Tony Bloom. (Photo by) | Getty Images They have since fallen out, going their own different ways to deliver success at two of Britain's most go-ahead football clubs - Brighton and, in Benham's case, Brentford. They have transferred their skills into the football arena, where data and statistics have become king. It's the ground on which Hearts have chosen to build an annex. Jamestown Analytics, an offshoot of a data firm started by Bloom, have signed an agreement with Hearts. They've already had a significant say in recent recruitment, with varying degrees of success it must be said. Nevertheless, money is money, investment is investment. However admirable is the largesse of Hearts' support, who continue to plough money into the club through monthly donations, it's not brought significant reward on the pitch. Another push is required, particularly given the absence of European football in the coming season. Significance of vote cannot be downplayed While not completely unanimous, Bloom's investment proposal breezed through at an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders at Tynecastle. The entrepreneur will have a 29 per cent stake in the form of a new tranche of non-voting rights shares. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Hearts will remain to all intents and purposes a fan-owned club but the ownership structure has changed as has the club's articles of association, so it's impossible to downplay the significance of the day, even if the club's own website took a minimal approach to reporting what had occurred in the Gorgie Suite. 'At the general meeting of the club, held this evening, we are delighted to report that all three resolutions have passed,' it reported shortly after the meeting had concluded at around 5.40pm, following a 5pm start. It hadn't even taken as long as a half of football for the Foundation of Hearts' (FoH) shareholding to be reduced by almost a third, regardless of voting rights. Admittedly, while newsworthy, it wasn't particularly sexy. It wasn't about a cup being hoisted towards the heavens. It wasn't a major new signing – not yet at least. And, of course, the suspense was limited – after all, the approval was all but guaranteed to be gained from shareholders who were nearly all salivating at the chops of the prospect of Bloom coming on board, particularly given the recent strides made by Hibs following fresh investment from the Black Knights Group. Seven board members sat at the top table. Among them was benefactor James Anderson, who along with wife Morag is estimated to have gifted as much as £20 million to the club, which does put Bloom's investment in perspective. That's not to say fresh funds are not welcome, of course. Bloom himself was not present to the evident disappointment of some of those gathered in the room. Hearts chairman Ann Budge, chairman of the Foundation of Hearts Gerry Mallon and chief executive Andrew McKinlay. | SNS Group Concerns aired over 'waffle' Following a short questions and answers session, Budge introduced the first of three resolutions: granting authority for the board to issue over 63 million non-voting rights shares to Bloom. Out of around 230 shareholders in attendance, just three hands went up when she asked who wasn't in favour. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Anyone who doesn't vote in favour of this needs their head examined,' was one of the first comments beneath a video of FoH chairman Gerry Mallon outlining the pros of the proposed deal in May. The estimates that around 98 per cent would support the investment turned out to be pretty much spot on. No one likes to be out of step with their fellow supporters so it was brave of the three gentlemen in question to take such a public stance. They all seemed in possession of their faculties so their concerns are legitimate and were adeptly articulated in the case of a Mr Mackie, who stood up to enquire what the money would be spent on. He accused Hearts of 'waffle' in the investment proposal consultation document published on the club's website, where terms such as 'futureproofing' had been used. Budge agreed with his contention that £10m was not a lot of money in today's football world, and it won't all be splurged on high-profile players. Andrew McKinlay, the chief executive, sought to allay fears about multi-club ownership, given Bloom is also involved with Belgian club Royale Union-Saint Gilloise. 'We would never do a deal with any potential to prejudice us playing in Europe,' he said. 'That would be crazy.' One of those opposing had come all the way from Hamilton by train to do so. Ken Darling later stood on a pavement opposite the Tynecastle Arms and explained that he was worried about a continued drift away from using local talent. He made the point that Andy Irving and Josh Doig, who came on as substitutes in Scotland's win over Liechtenstein last week, had both started their careers in the youth ranks at Hearts before moving elsewhere. "Why are these guys not being developed?" he wondered. "We have signed several very poor foreign players recently." Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
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