Europeada

There are more than 400 minorities in Europe; almost 100 are united in FUEN. The Federal Union of European Nationalities (FUEN) was founded in Paris in 1949 with the aim to preserve and promote the identity, language, culture, rights and unique characteristics of the European minorities.

The eventful history of Europe and the reshaping of the continent after the two World Wars caused that almost every seventh European belong to an autochthonous minority on the territory of a different state.

Therefore a tough effort is required to maintain these identities and to counteract assimilation. The fall of the Iron Curtain has opened up new possibilities and enables new encounters.

Sport creates space for such encounters, in particular football with its worldwide presence. The idea to start a minority championship in order to draw attention for the linguistic and cultural richness of Europe was quickly embraced.

During a FUEN Congress, the name of EUROPEADA was born at a football match between a FUEN selection and a local team. In the run-up to the European Championship for national teams in 2008, the name became Europe-wide known as in the Swiss canton of Grisons a football tournament for minority teams was organised under the name of EUROPEADA.

References

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