WASHINGTON, DC (May 16th, 2008) -- Fulham's American continent won't get the benefit of the odd route into Europe, finishing behind Manchester City in the Fair-Play League 7th to City's 6th. The five teams ahead of City are the top five teams in the Premier League who qualified directly.
“At one point we thought we were almost sure to get there, at other points we’ve been almost out of it, but now this news is absolutely fantastic for the Club, for the fans and for everyone," manager Sve-Goran Eriksson told the club's official site.
UEFA rewards the top three leagues on their Fair-Play table with an exra UEFA Cup slot. In theory, this would go to the top fair-play club in each of the qualified leagues. In reality, there's usually a direct connection between fair play and winning.
Germany and Denmark are the other two leagus to qualify, with their seasons still going. Depending on how the Bundesliga finishes, Brian Arguez's Hertha Berlin or Kamani Hill's VfL Wolfsburg could be the beneficiaries.
Last season, Sweden's BK Hacken, Norway's Lillestrom SK, and Finalnd's MyPa-47 qualified through the Fair-Play table. England last got an extra slot in 2003, taken by Manchester City. Spain hasn't qualified since 2000, Scotland since 1999, and Italy has never qualified since the Fiar-Play table came into use in 1994-95.
