[lfc-news] FA reveal Champions League ruling - PA

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PA Sport, 5 May 2005
FA REVEAL CHAMPIONS LEAGUE RULING

Everton have welcomed confirmation by the Football Association that the
top four teams in the Barclays Premiership will enter the Champions
League next season.

With Liverpool unlikely to earn qualification via the league, there had
been suggestions that one of England's four places should go to the
Anfield side if they were to beat AC Milan in Istanbul later this month.

But that possibility has been ruled out by the FA, although they say
they will lobby UEFA for a fifth place on Liverpool's behalf.

The news was greeted with cautious relief by Everton - who are currently
in fourth place, three points ahead of their city rivals with two games
to play.

Everton chief executive Keith Wyness told the club's website,
www.evertonfc.com: "Whilst we welcome the announcement from the FA
regarding clarification on the fourth place qualification issue, we are
still operating in a hypothetical situation with regards to Everton's
position."

UEFA leave the allocation of each country's Champions League places in
the hands of national associations.

And there had been some hope for Liverpool, who are three points behind
Everton with two games to play, in the example set in 2000 by the
Spanish FA who selected fifth-placed Real Madrid over fourth-placed Real
Zaragoza after the former won the Champions League.

However, with the Premier League likely to have resisted any attempt to
remove the reward from the team finishing fourth, the board of six
chairmen decided to leave Liverpool's fate in UEFA's hands.

The board is made up of Dave Richards (Premier League), David Dein
(Arsenal vice-chairman), Rupert Lowe (Southampton), Phil Gartside
(Bolton), David Sheepshanks (Ipswich) and Peter Heard (Colchester).

The decision was endorsed by UEFA's director of communication, William
Gaillard.

He said: "That is fine. This is the rule although the FA could have
asked for an exception and replaced the fourth-placed team with the
eventual winners of the Champions League if Liverpool win it.

"They have chosen not to. However, the Premiership is not over and there
are still three games for Everton and two for Liverpool so we could have
a nice race."

Liverpool do have small cause for hope with the FA intending to try to
persuade UEFA to award fifth place to English football, although the
competition's rules stipulate a maximum of four entrants from each country.

UEFA president Lennart Johansson has made it clear the association's
executive committee do have the power to make and enforce changes.

However, they will not take any action until after the final itself and
should Liverpool win that, a decision would be made at the next
executive committee meeting on June 17.

The Anfield side will have an ally in Everton, with Wyness adding:
"Despite what is a most intense local rivalry, we do believe that if
Liverpool were to win this year's tournament they should be invited to
return as holders."

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