  It is shown that the renormalized finite temperature effective potential for
continuum $SU(2)$ Yang-Mills theory develops a non-perturbative minimum for
sufficiently strong coupling, i.e. below a critical temperature. The
corresponding phase can be the candidate for the confining phase of the
continuum theory and becomes energetically favoured basicly due to the decay of
the $A^0$ condensate into three gluons.
