Fri May 9 15:58:14 2008

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City in line for UEFA Cup spot

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Manchester, England (Sports Network) - Manchester City could secure a surprise route into European football next season after UEFA revealed England have finished top of the fair play standings.

One Premier League club will now be handed entry into the first qualifying round of the UEFA Cup - taking the number of English sides in the competition to four.

Sven-Goran Eriksson's side appear to be the front-runners for the prize as they are fifth in the domestic fair play league - but behind four teams who have already secured places in Europe via alternative routes.

The Citizens, who face Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, also qualified for Europe via the same route in 2004.

However, should they qualify for Europe, then owner Thaksin Shinawatra faces the unusual scenario of parting company with a manager who has exceeded his own preseason expectations.

The former Thai prime minister indicated he would be happy with a top half of the table finish in his first season when he took over at Eastlands last summer.

Shinawatra has since suggested that Eriksson's services will be dispensed with in the summer after a disappointing second half of the season.

The former England coach, who himself was only appointed last summer, has been linked with a return to Portuguese club Benfica should he be shown the door later this month.

(Courtesy of sportbox.tv)