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Fair Play award gives City Uefa spot

16/05/2008

Manchester City will play in Europe next season after being awarded a place in the Uefa Cup through the Premier League's fair play rankings, it was announced on Friday.

England was adjudged to have come top in Uefa's Fair Play table, meaning another European spot was made available.

The five teams who finished above City in the Premier League's own standings had already qualified for European competition, meaning Sven-Goran Eriksson's team were handed entry into next year's Uefa Cup despite only finishing ninth in the Premier League after a season which fell away post-Christmas.

Manager Eriksson, amid speculation predicting his departure from the club, commented: "It's like the dream came true. Our dream to play in Europe has been strong all season."

The former England boss continued: "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."

City had feared the worst following captain Richard Dunne's dismissal in the 8-1 final day defeat at Middlesbrough, but the Premier League's final calculations meant they retained sixth spot in the fair play league.