Posted:
Thu Jun 09, 2005 11:27 amby kazza
It is about money and Liverpool has a far superior chance of qualification and hense bringing that money to England. I am sure Everton will not make it, and therefore lose out on that money.
For f.ucks sake Everton do the right thing and stand down. I mean making the UEFA cup is more that you thought you would get. Do it for England because when you fail to qualify that is who will be embarassed.
Posted:
Thu Jun 09, 2005 1:21 pmby neilE
Not sure that being in the qualifying rounds will benefit us - it will make it even harder to compete for the league if our players have been in important matches from July onwards - as well as being committed to play in Japan. Personally if that's what they come up with I'd rather not bother. We won it ffs, we've got nothing to prove! I think they should put us straight into the group stages if they want the champions in their competition. And what IS the matter with Everton - they should be happy they are in it and enjoy it while it lasts (which won't be long!), instead of whinging on about how we shouldn't be in it too. I am geting hacked off with the attitude of some of their fans (see the everton blog posted here yesterday for example) - I'm beginning to hope UEFA TELL the FA who the 4 English teams will be............
Posted:
Thu Jun 09, 2005 11:57 pmby zarababe
REDS ALL SET AFTER HIGH POWER BACKING
Liverpool Echo 09 June 2005
LIVERPOOL'S entry into next season's European Cup is set to be confirmed tomorrow after a powerful high ranking Turkish delegate threw his weight behind the holders.
It's been widely presumed the Turks were against the move to hand Rafa Benitez's side a place in this year's competition.
Fenerbahce were worried they would lose their automatic qualification spot if the European champs were successful.
However, that's not going to be the case. The increasingly likely compromise is the Reds will be entered into the third qualifying round alongside Manchester United and Everton.
The UEFA senior vice-president is Turkish delegate Senes Erjik and he is understood to be backing this proposal.
Erjik is a powerful figure within the organisation. He's second in command to Lennart Johannson and is tipped to take over the Presidency when the 75-year-old steps down.
Having fought to assure Fenerbahce of their place, Erjik is now believed to be lobbying support for Liverpool's right to defend their title.
The club who will miss out on Champions League football is expected to come from either San Marino or Andorra, one of whom will be withdrawn from the first qualifying round.
This will have a knock-on effect, creating a vacancy for Liverpool to enter as top seeds in the third qualifier in August.
The most contentious topic of discussion for the committee, which meets tomorrow, isn't Liverpool's right to defend their title. No European champion has ever been denied that privilege since the competition began and the majority of members support Liverpool's cause.
Of more concern is the repercussions of an unprecedented five clubs from one Football Association participating. Financially, this will impact on the share of the lucrative market pool.
As it stands, if all reach the group stage, five rather than four clubs share an estimated £52m. That means Liverpool, Everton, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal would get £10.4m each rather than £13m.
The further the clubs get, the greater their share of the market pool. If all five clubs then reached the knockout stage, or even the last eight, their share of earnings would inevitably be less than in previous years when four clubs divided the cash allocated to their association.
UEFA also know they will have to clarify the rules for future tournaments in the event of a repeat of the current farce.
The example of 2000 when Real Madrid were given a place ahead of Real Zaragoza has been widely interpreted as a missed opportunity.
However, in UEFA's defence, the Champions League format was different then as there were only four groups in the competition.
UEFA didn't want any of the groups to include two clubs from the same association - a policy still in place. Since then, the format has changed and there are eight groups.
Technically, UEFA could amend the rules to allow a maximum of eight teams from one association, and still ensure they didn't meet during the group stage.
In 2000, Real Madrid finished outside a qualifying position in La Liga but entered the Champions League in the group stage as number one seeds.
Liverpool believe the same should apply to them, but if a compromise is reached and they enter the final qualifying round, they're not likely to launch an appeal.
Posted:
Fri Jun 10, 2005 8:14 amby el_stinger
Cisse on Friday's decision, I have to agree with him:
Djibril Cisse believes Liverpool can have no complaints if they are not granted a place in next season's UEFA Champions League.
Rafa Benitez's European champions are to learn on Friday whether they are to be appear in next season's premier club competition - despite finishing outside of the qualification places.
It is expected that Liverpool could enter the competition at the third qualifying phase - which would push Slovakian side Artmedia back a round.
However, 23-year-old Cisse believes that Liverpool and their players must shoulder responsibility if Uefa decide against their entry next season - despite their dramatic penalty shoot-out final win over Milan.
''There are rules and the rules are there to be respected,'' said Cisse.
''If we don't manage to get a change in these rules or a special right to play, then it will be our own fault.
''Perhaps that will teach us a lesson.''
