City to benefit from Liverpool's Euro success?

[Desigol]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/man_city/4079814.stm

[beachesl]

No.

Cithe is out of luck, lahhhhhhds.

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Premier League stake City's Euro claim

http://soccernet.espn.go.com/headlinenews?id=335319&cc=5901

The Premier League have reacted angrily to the terms of Liverpool's inclusion in next season's Champions League and demanded that Manchester City take their place in the UEFA Cup.

The European champions must start from the first qualifying round in mid-July, and they could face Everton in a third qualifying match.

And Stuart Pearce's City - who finished eighth in the Premiership behind Bolton and Middlesbrough - will not be promoted to take the place in the UEFA Cup which Liverpool would have claimed.

Another sting in the tail for English football is that UEFA have said Liverpool must share in the cash-pot awarded to England's other four entrants - Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United and Everton.

A Premier League spokesman said: 'We are very pleased for Liverpool and in many ways UEFA have taken a brave and correct decision.

'However we do not feel this should have been at the expense of the English games third UEFA Cup place, nor the Champions League pool as distributed between the four qualified clubs.

'As a result we will be asking the FA to formally re-nominate Bolton, Middlesbrough and Manchester City in the three UEFA Cup places allocated to the English game.'

City, who would have climbed above Middlesbrough had Robbie Fowler netted a last-minute penalty against the Teessiders on the final day of the season, were left deflated by the news from UEFA.

'We are naturally disappointed not to be taking part in next season's UEFA Cup,' City spokesperson Vicky Kloss said on.

'We have been in regular contact with the FA regarding our willingness to play in the competition should the situation have arisen and we'd like to thank them and the Premier League for robustly stating the case on our behalf.'

The declaration that Liverpool must share in the allocated funds for English sides could cost the other four Premiership clubs involved in the Champions League as much as £5million each.

Everton chief executive Keith Wyness insisted earlier this week that no other club should suffer financially by Liverpool's inclusion.

An Everton spokesman said: 'We have always said that the champions of Europe should be able to defend their trophy, apart from that we do not wish to comment further.'

[Guest HamiltonSteelers]

Let me say that right off the top, I love the English game.

That being said, The FA and the Premier League have agruably done enough to bung this whole competition up. Liverpool, as much as they DO DESERVE to defend their title, and that the FA said that top 4 qualify for the CL regardless of how it ends, I think it is insulting to the rest of Europe their actions. To me, it was a move of greed. England wanted 5 CL spots, and the rules say no more than 4. UEFA bailed out the FAs stubborness.

- Man City should get Liverpool's spot: disagree. Liverpool qualified for the UEFA cup naturally but since the FA was firm on their allocation stances, Liverpool is effectively exchanging their UEFA spot for a CL spot. Which team/country took a hit for Liverpool and England's extra spot. City didn't qualify by not finishing top 7. Had the FA simply said 'if a team not in the top 4 wins the CL, then it will be allocated to the top 3 and the defending champion' like the Spanish did a few seasons ago, Man City still wouldn't have qualified. The blues had a helluva season. Do better next year.

- Liverpool diminishes the other four CL payments. I must not understand how teams are paid as I always assumed that it was performance based. So much money for a win, so much for a tie, so much for a loss. If the payments are allocated on a game-to-game basis, then it shouldn't change. Or bonuses should be waived until they qualify to the CL first round. This compromise seems to me that the nations are paid immediately for their entry and that it is the FAs responsibility to share the money accordingly. If this is the case, then it is a very fair decision.

I realize that there has to be a compromise on the situation, and all things considered, it should've been something else. I would have rather seen Liverpool admitted with no financial limitations at the expense of a one year penalty losing one CL spot (5 spots this year, 3 next year) and/or a fine to the FA for stubbornly causing this whole mess.