Liverpool face Champions League blow

14 April 2012

Liverpool's hopes of being awarded the fourth Champions League place for English clubs if they win the European Cup will be dealt a blow today when the Football Association rules that the fourth placed Premiership team should retain the prized spot.

Although Liverpool can still finish fourth, Merseyside rivals Everton are favourites to finish ahead of them. That raises the amazing prospect that Liverpool might not be able to defend the European Cup if they beat AC Milan in Istanbul on 25 May.

The FA's professional game board were due to meet today and it is understood that the majority of the six-man board strongly favour awarding qualification to the side who finish fourth in the league.

As Standard Sport reported last week, the Premier League will resist any attempt to remove the Champions League reward from the side that finishes fourth.

The FA professional game board's decision will need to be approved by the full FA board but, given that the six are also members of that body, that will merely be a rubber-stamping exercise.

Meanwhile, the FA will continue to lobby UEFA for a fifth place for English clubs.

The position of European football's governing body on the row has shifted slightly but importantly in favour of Liverpool this week following an intervention from president Lennart Johansson.

Although their regulations stipulate that a maximum of four sides from any one country can take part in Europe's elite club competition, Johansson has made it clear UEFA's executive committee do have the power to overrule and enforce any changes.

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