English FA seeking extra Champions League spot

[holidaysong]

The English FA have asked UEFA to grant them an extra place in next season's Champions League if Liverpool win this season's tournament but finish outside the top four in the Premiership.

However, UEFA have so far shown few signs of being willing to bend their existing rules, which state that no national body can have more than four teams in the tournament.

www.rte.ie

A bunch of chancers - why should they get an extra spot?!?!

[Plastic Paddy]

Exactly. Four teams from any one country at most is the order of the day, and that's excessive as it is. Still, what else would we expect from the money-grabbers at the FA Premier League?

PP

[anto1208]

the fa ceo ( the guy who chooses whether liverpool or everton go into the champs league) is a life long liverpool fan so no surprise when he wrote to ask uefa to let liverpool in even though they have nt got past the semi's yet . and uefa have said they would prefere everton to get it coz the team should qualify through the league prosess.

[Macy]

There's no automatic qualification for the winners anymore, and the FA stated at the start of the season that it would go to the top 4 regardless if an English team win it. So it doesn't look likely that Liverpool will rob Everton of Champions Cup football for a second time....

[cullenswood]

There's no automatic qualification for the winners anymore, and the FA stated at the start of the season that it would go to the top 4 regardless if an English team win it. So it doesn't look likely that Liverpool will rob Everton of Champions Cup football for a second time....

Is that for definite....I heard the exact opposite

[Macy]

Is that for definite....I heard the exact opposite

I'm only going on what 5live were saying last night. No one there thought Liverpool would get the place if they won, and didn't finish top 4, because of the stated FA policy from earlier. Defo end up in the courts if they try it I would imagine anyway....

[noby]

This is an extract from the uefa website regarding rules of entry into the CL..

1.01 UEFA member associations may enter a certain number of clubs for this
competition, in accordance with their position in the rankings listed in Annexe
Ia, and subject to the approval of the UEFA Administration. However, no
association may enter more than four clubs for the competition. For
representation in the 2004/05 competition, the seasons from 1998/99 to
2002/03 inclusive are taken into account.

1.02 These rankings (Annexe Ia), drawn up in accordance with the stipulations of
Annexe II, points 5-10, determine the number of representatives per
association, as well as the stage at which they join the competition.
Associations are represented on the following basis:
a) One representative: winners of the top domestic league championship.
b) Two representatives: winners and runners-up of the top domestic league
championship.
c) Three representatives: winners, runners-up and third-placed club in the
top domestic league championship.
d) Four representatives: winners, runners-up, third- and fourth-placed clubs
in the top domestic league championship.

1.03 At the request of the national association concerned, the UEFA Champions League title-holders may be entered for this competition, as an additional representative of that association, if they have not qualified for the UEFA Champions League via the top domestic league championship. If, in such a case, the title-holders come from an association entitled to enter four teams for the UEFA Champions League, the fourth-placed club in the top domestic league championship has to be entered for the UEFA Cup.

As it says in their own rules "At the request of the national association concerned".
Seems that now that there is a possibility of this scenario (winners finish outside top 4), the FA are fudging on their own ruling, and passing the buck to UEFA.
Real Madrid won it a few years back, and finished fifth. They were entered into the competition the next year.


Anyway this is probably all academic. If you ask me, neither Liverpool or Everton will be in the CL next year.

[Macy]

As it says in their own rules "At the request of the national association concerned".
Seems that now that there is a possibility of this scenario (winners finish outside top 4), the FA are fudging on their own ruling, and passing the buck to UEFA.

Obviously a fudge, but the FA stated at the start of the season that it would be the top 4 regardless. Obviously trying to back track now - obviously would be hard to imagine a team so inconsistent not to be in the top 4 to do so well in Europe...

Anyway this is probably all academic. If you ask me, neither Liverpool or Everton will be in the CL next year.

We can but hope...

[Éanna]

should be one per country- end of story

[noby]

should be one per country- end of story

I disagree. It should be one per country and holders.

[Thunderblaster]

should be one per country- end of story

The champions of each country. UEFA lost its values when they extended entries for the more powerful leagues. Money talks.

[anto1208]

should be one per country- end of story

but then you are going to get a pile of rubbish like shels etc from the lower leagues getting into the comp , the whole point of it is to pit the best clubs in europe against each other which it does at the moment .

[ciaran76]

but then you are going to get a pile of rubbish like shels etc from the lower leagues getting into the comp , the whole point of it is to pit the best clubs in europe against each other which it does at the moment .

Disagree there. It should be one team from each country like it used to be.

[Éanna]

but then you are going to get a pile of rubbish like shels etc from the lower leagues getting into the comp , the whole point of it is to pit the best clubs in europe against each other which it does at the moment .

No. Its called them Champions league, so it should be for champions. Anyway- shels didn't exactly disgrace themselves in europe this year, did they?

[anto1208]

Anyway- shels didn't exactly disgrace themselves in europe this year, did they?

yes they did

[4tothefloor]

It's called the 'Champions League', yet the possible champions of the Champions League may not be in it next season. Now if that's not a load of rubbish, I don't know what is. Everton are wasting their time going in to the CL, they won't even get past the qualifiers cos they'll be unseeded and will probably meet a Spanish\Italian\German side. That would be a shameful waste of a place, especially if they were keeping the current holders out. It's ridiculous. When you win a competition, the least you expect is to be allowed defend your title. Everton are not CL material. They have done superbly this season and deserve their CL place...........unless Liverpool win the CL, in which case they deserve it even more in my opinion.

It's all hypothetical for now anyway. Neither may end up winning through.