And yet Union still never played in Europe. They had been drawn against Yugoslav side FK Bor for the first round of the Cup Winners’ Cup on 10 July 1968. Then came the night of 21 August 1968 and the Warsaw Pact’s crushing of the Prague Spring. The political crisis soon reached UEFA.\n\nSeveral western clubs refused to face teams from socialist countries, a new draw was improvised and Union were now paired with Dynamo Moscow.
Then the eastern associations protested as well, and when UEFA stuck to the changes, the GDR threatened withdrawal. The boycott became reality.\n\nEast German, Soviet, Hungarian, Polish and Bulgarian clubs all pulled out. Union’s dream of a European debut evaporated.