Liverpool FC Forum

by **JC_81** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 5:47 pm

According to the Times...

UEFA has brought forward the summit to determine whether Liverpool will be allowed to defend the European Cup and could announce their verdict as early as tomorrow.

The most likely outcome is an uneasy compromise whereby the club would be admitted but told that they must join Manchester United and Everton in the qualifying rounds.

The decision was originally to be made at a scheduled meeting of Uefa's executive committee in Manchester next week, but now Lennart Johansson, the president, intends to reach a consensus during a frenzied round of phone calls tomorrow. It is understood that he will encourage his 14 fellow committee members to support proposals to find a place for Liverpool but that the club play at least one qualifying round, rather than progress directly to the group stages, after finishing fifth in the Barclays Premiership before overcoming AC Milan in the European Cup final in Istanbul.

"The idea of putting Liverpool straight into the group stages is one of the more remote possibilities," William Gaillard, the Uefa director of communications, said last night. "To admit Liverpool in the first place, we would have to change a fundamental rule, which is that no country should have more than four clubs in the Champions League. There have been a number of proposals. We can't say yes to Liverpool if it means damaging another club, so, if Liverpool are to be admitted, we have to work hard to find a way in which this can happen."

Some will feel that Liverpool should consider themselves lucky if such a solution is reached because it would involve Uefa bending the rules, but the club may not share that view. In their submission to the FA, which they asked to be passed to Uefa, they pointed out that the competition's regulations make provisions for the holders to enter at the group stages as the top seed in the competition, even if they have finished outside the automatic qualifying places in their domestic league, as happened with Real Madrid in 2000.

Liverpool's case has been clouded by the FA's decision to preserve the place offered - but not guaranteed in the Champions League regulations - to the clubfinishing fourth in the Premiership, in this case Everton. By doing so, the FA may in one sense be said to have played a masterstroke if Uefa finds room for a fifth English representative, but sources at Anfield have revealed misgivings about the way the matter has been handled, particularly after the FA contacted them last week to propose precisely the compromise that is likely to be reached by Uefa.

Several members of Uefa's executive committee have voiced reservations about changing the regulations at this stage, but Liverpool have a powerful ally in Johansson. According to one source at Uefa, the president "wields a lot of power within the committee, has a very forceful personality and would typically tell the members which way he expected a decision like this to go and what he expects them to say. He would try to reach a consensus and then present that to Lars-Christer Olsson [the chief executive] to see how it would work."

Sounds ok, we should make it through the qualifying rounds ok if thats the way it has to be. Glad the decision has been brought forward, all the chat about it has dragged on a bit

by **Leonmc0708** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 5:53 pm

John Craig, your name will go down in history.

This was well worth another thread.

by **7_Kewell** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 5:53 pm

'rumour' is we will be put into the 1st round....if that's the case i'd try and rest the likes of Gerrard and the others for the games against part timers....

by **Ciggy** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 5:54 pm

Not really because we won the bloody thing and should be number 1 seeds. Dont get me wrong i will be really happy if we are in it again, but our league form is going to suffer badly through this.

If that is the final decision then Liverpool could find themselves in a first qualifying round tie which would fall in early July when they are supposedly in their Swiss pre-season training camp.

If UEFA accept this advice from their president, Liverpool's pre-season will be thrown into chaos.

If they are asked to start out in the second qualifying round, they will find themselves in Japan for the first leg on July 27 playing two friendlies, one that night against Shimizu S Pulseand then another three days later against Kashima Antlers.

Liverpool are due back in the UK on July 31 from a tour they are already financially committed to.

If UEFA tell Liverpool to start in the third qualifying round, the second leg of that stage will clash with the week of the European Super Cup Final against CSKA Moscow in Monaco on August 26, an event UEFA have already confirmed that Liverpool are scheduled to play in. '

by **7_Kewell** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 5:57 pm

we won the bloody thing and should be number 1 seeds. Dont get me wrong i will be really happy if we are in it again, but our league form is going to suffer badly through this.

agree....let's hope they put us intot he group stages....but i would accept the 1st round instead of the Ueffa cup!

by **Adebisi** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 6:03 pm

Sorry if silly question,
What would have been the scenario if we had finished fourth and won CL? Would be still have to go through qualifying stages as holders?

by **Ciggy** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 6:05 pm

Adebisi wrote:Sorry if silly question,
What would have been the scenario if we had finished fourth and won CL? Would be still have to go through qualifying stages as holders?

No we would be number 1 seeds I imagine, like Real madrid where. Its :censored:

crazy this whole situation just to please the :censored:

bitter horrible :censored:

from across the park :angry:

And

the F.A. cup right off, dont even enter it tw@ts :veryangry

by **JC_81** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 6:13 pm

Leonmc0708 wrote:John Craig, your name will go down in history.

This was well worth another thread.

Fu.ck sake LeonMC0718!!

Sarcasm??

Thats not like you!!

Why don't you make a few posts that actually relate to LFC rather than pointless whinging?

by **aco67** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 6:34 pm

This is from ntlworld.com

Uefa officials are expected to decide by the end of the week whether European champions Liverpool will be allowed to defend their Champions League title next season.

And the president of European football's governing body, Lennart Johansson , has given the Merseysiders cause for optimism by saying: "I think the champions - as in all other sports - have the chance to defend their title."

Johansson added: "We have the ambition on the one hand to give Liverpool the opportunity to defend their title - but on the other hand we need to make sure no-one suffers from such a decision... In my opinion Liverpool should be in from the very beginning - they will have to go through all the competition."

And Uefa's director of communications William Gaillard has revealed that there is a lot of "sympathy" for the five-times European champions.

Gaillard is quoted as saying: "The feeling is Liverpool played a great final and it is sad they did not automatically qualify.

"The idea is to find a solution that does not hurt anyone and satisfies Liverpool - a win-win situation if you like. It is not easy to change the rules during the season but the way they won has probably helped them a lot. Of course it would have been easy for us if they had finished fourth in their league!"

Liverpool missed out on claiming a top-four finish in the Premiership which would have given them the chance to play in European club football's most prestigious competition next season.

Football Association and Premier League officials agreed last month, before Liverpool beat AC Milan in the Champions League final, that Premiership champions Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United and Everton would be the four English entrants.

But the FA has been leading calls for Benitez and his European champions to be allowed to defend the trophy.

Gaillard added: "The idea of putting Liverpool straight into the group stages is one of the more remote possibilities.

"There have been a number of proposals. We can't say yes to Liverpool if it means damaging another club, so, if Liverpool are to be admitted, we have to work hard to find a way in which this can happen."

Everton, who beat the Reds to the fourth qualification spot, have already said they would object to a solution which would mean them having to take a smaller share of the prize money.

And officials in Turkey have also expressed dissatisfaction that the Reds may be entered into the group stages of the Champions League with a high seeding therefore demoting their champions, Fenerbahce, to the qualifying round.

Once again the bitters are whingeing :veryangry

by **zarababe** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 7:16 pm

.. the decison is now expected on Friday..following a telephone conference meeting.. we'll be in it to win it .. Again

by **KARMANI** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 7:51 pm

Evidently Martina Navratilova (sp?) says that Liverpool should not be allowed into the Champions League just for winning it. Must be a Chelski fan?

LFC shot themselves in the foot she reckons but I am still trying to work that one out.

:censored:

off you stupid over the hill tennis player. :angry:

by **Ciggy** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 7:54 pm

KARMANI wrote:Evidently Martina Navratilova (sp?) says that Liverpool should not be allowed into the Champions League just for winning it. Must be a Chelski fan?

LFC shot themselves in the foot she reckons but I am still trying to work that one out.

off you stupid over the hill tennis player.

What the

it got to do with her :angry:

ugly big old dyke :angry:

by **LiverpoolMadman** » Wed Jun 08, 2005 12:17 am

It's stituation would be very easily for everybody if only FA inform that CL winner will be allow to defend their title and they will sent only 3 teams more . Everton will play in UEFA for next season .

by **babu** » Wed Jun 08, 2005 4:13 am

I really don't think this should be an issue for the FA. If the FA provided the solution for UEFA then this problem would re-occur in the future and the issue will never be solved. UEFA needs put some changes in place that allow the holders to defend the title. I suggest this should have been in place from inception, and definetly should have been addressed several years ago when (spanish fa i think) provided the solution for UEFA.

I really would not like to see 'pool having to go through the whole of the qualifying stages, especially as the EPL is such a priorty next season, thats a lot of football early on. But I think this is what will happen, based on comments from UEFA members. <--of course this is assuming they let us in.. which i have no doubt

by **el_stinger** » Wed Jun 08, 2005 5:41 am

Deja Vu, I thought there was already a thread on this.

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