Amazingly, the day after Fulham pulled off a relegation escape of epic proportions, it emerged that the Cottagers might now be in line for a spot in Europe thanks to their performance in the so-called European Fair Play League. England has already secured an extra UEFA Cup slot thanks to their position in this table, and Fulham has a good chance of being the beneficiary, the Telegraph said, as the Cottagers are the team with the “fairest” record not to have already qualified for Europe. Sven Goran Eriksson’s Manchester City had been in line to receive the invite until Richard Dunne’s sending off against Middlesbrough after 14 minutes on Sunday. Fulham, conversely, received no bookings against Portsmouth.
“It is certainly a possibility that we could be playing in the UEFA Cup, a Fulham spokesperson said. “It is a complicated situation in which administration efficiency is also taken into consideration as well as on-field behavior but we know we are in a good position and expect to have confirmation from the Premier League early next week. For now, we have enough to celebrate over staying up but this could be another bonus, although we can’t say more at this stage until all the documentation is in.”
The standings in the Fair Play table are based on several criteria, but the number of bookings and ejections is the most important. If Fulham wins the invitation, it will certainly be an historic week for the club.