Premier clubs are backing Cardiff City Euro bid

Apr 17 2008 by Paul Abbandonato, Western Mail

CARDIFF CITY’S bid to get into Europe has been given the backing of Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and the rest of the Premiership’s crack teams.

The news comes as an enormous boost to the Bluebirds as they prepare for their big FA Cup final showdown with Portsmouth at Wembley.

Premier League and Football League chairmen, who make up the FA’s professional game board, met on Tuesday night to debate the Euro controversy.

They agreed Dave Jones’ men should be permitted to represent the English FA in next season’s Uefa Cup if they lift the cup.

The official recommendation will go to a meeting of the FA board next week when it should be rubber-stamped.

FA spokesman Dan Johnson confirmed the news when he told the Western Mail last night: “Members of the professional game board debated the Cardiff matter and decided the fair thing to do is for them to be permitted to go into Europe.

“They deemed it is only right and proper that if a side is invited to enter a competition and they win it, they should reap any subsequent rewards of that.

“If, in this case, that means a team being permitted to go into Europe, then so be it.

“This is our official position and it will be put forward as a recommendation to next week’s meeting.”

Five Premier League and Football League delegates on the professional game board also sit on the FA’s main executive committee.

It would therefore be a major surprise if the European stance they have taken on the Bluebirds is not officially sanctioned.

Under current FA rules, Welsh clubs cannot represent England in Europe, while Cardiff, Swansea and Wrexham are also barred from entering the Welsh Cup.

But Cardiff’s fairytale march to the cup final has brought the whole Euro ban issue on to a much wider public scale and forced the FA into a huge U-turn.

Uefa chief Michel Platini took up the cudgels on behalf of Cardiff, stating they must be permitted to enter the Uefa Cup if they beat Portsmouth.

Rather than have Uefa action forced upon them, it looks as if FA bigwigs are ready to make their own decision in favour of Cardiff.

The move will finally put an end to the contentious ban imposed on Wales’ “big three” since they were kicked out of the old Welsh Cup in the mid-1990s.

The historical places they had in Europe went, instead, to teams from the Welsh Premier league.

Although the odd Welsh Premier team has produced decent results, by and large our results in Europe have been woeful since the “big three” were kicked out.

FAW chiefs have been seeking a way around the problem and even explored the possibility of Cardiff, Swansea and Wrexham reserve sides qualifying for the Champions League via the Welsh Premier. But it looks as if they can say the matter has been resolved for good, with the European route open to Cardiff and Swansea via the English system.

Bluebirds chief Peter Ridsdale is still maintaining a dignified silence about the whole issue, pointing out Cardiff have not yet won the cup. But privately he is understood to be delighted by the new stance taken by the FA.

The new proposal represents a dramatic U-turn on the FA’s behalf. Just a few weeks ago, as Cardiff moved into the cup semi-finals, they stated categorically that the Bluebirds would not be permitted to go into Europe.

The FA were a bit more conciliatory after Platini became embroiled in the debate. But their change in tack this week has been remarkable.

There is even a suggestion Cardiff could get into Europe if they lose to Portsmouth at Wembley.

If Portsmouth finish fifth in the league and also win the FA Cup, it is being mooted that Cardiff should still qualify for the Uefa Cup.

The sixth-placed team in the Premiership, likely to be Everton, would have to be content with the Intertoto Cup.

Everything will become clearer on that after next week’s FA executive meeting.