1999–2000 UEFA Cup
The 1999–2000 UEFA Cup season was the 29th edition of the UEFA Cup competition. The final took place at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen and was won by Galatasaray, who defeated Arsenal in the final. The game was scoreless through the first ninety minutes and stayed that way through thirty minutes of extra time. The match went on to penalty kicks in which Gheorghe Popescu scored the winning goal to win the cup. Galatasaray won the cup without losing a single game. The competition was marred by violence involving Turkish and English hooligans in the semi-finals and the final, in particular the fatal stabbings of Leeds United fans Kevin Speight and Christopher Loftus by Galatasaray fans in Istanbul.
Parken Stadium, in Østerbro, hosted the final. | |
| Dates | 10 August 1999 – 17 May 2000 |
|---|---|
| Final positions | |
| Champions | Galatasaray (1st title) |
| Runners-up | Arsenal |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 205 |
| Goals scored | 565 (2.76 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Darko Kovačević (Juventus) 10 goals |
Parma were the defending champions, but were eliminated by Werder Bremen in the fourth round. They entered in the first round due to elimination in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League.
It was the first season of the new format UEFA Cup; it had absorbed the now defunct Cup Winners' Cup to include domestic cup winners, and now featured an additional knockout round. This was the first year when the UEFA Cup winners qualified for the UEFA Super Cup. This season's champions also qualified for the 2001 FIFA Club World Championship, which was never held. So far, Galatasaray are the only UEFA Cup winners to qualify for a Club World Cup.