SPL runners-up get Euro parachute

[MackaysCentreSpot]

Uefa has confirmed that Scotland's runners-up will drop into the Europa League next season if they lose their opening Champions League qualifier.

 

Rangers exited from European competition in August after losing their opening qualifier to FBK Kaunas.

 

The winners of this season's Scottish Premier League will go directly to the group stages of the Champions League.

 

The Scottish Cup winners, or possibly runners-up, will join the Europa League campaign in the final qualifying round.

 

European football's governing body last month decided to replace the Uefa Cup with the Europa League, an expanded tournament designed to mirror the Champions League.

 

Qualification for the Champions League is also set to change for Scottish clubs, with second qualifying round opponents potentially including a top team from the Netherlands, with sides from the Premier League in England as possible opponents in the third qualifying round.

 

Scotland's 10th place in the Uefa co-efficient rankings has guaranteed the SPL winners direct progress to the Champions League groups stages, despite the poor performances of Scottish teams in Europe this season.

 

The fourth-placed team in the SPL will enter at the second qualifying round stage of the Europa League, with the third place side joining them one round later.

 

This change in structure means that, should the SPL runners-up fail to reach the Champions League, they will automatically enter at the third qualifying round stage of the Europa League.

 

The side that finish fourth in the SPL face a short summer break, with the first leg of their second qualifying round tie scheduled for 16 July 2009.

 

Apologies if already posted.

[Hearts Heritage]

 

....

The side that finish fourth in the SPL face a short summer break, with the first leg of their second qualifying round tie scheduled for 16 July 2009.

 

Apologies if already posted.

 

As I've said before there IS NOT an extra place in Europe for Scotland, it is just the Intertoto Cup made compulsory.

[portobellojambo1]

As I've said before there IS NOT an extra place in Europe for Scotland, it is just the Intertoto Cup made compulsory.

 

I hope I have now worked it all out, our qualification hasn't changed at all, it

will be as was (other than the automatic CL to Europa dropdown), with The champions qualifying directly for Champions League, runners up going into Champions League qualifiers (with drop down to UEFA should they fail), and three teams (possibly 4 given dropdown) in the Europa Cup, (one of those being the cup runners up (still) should a team already qualified by league position win the Scottish Cup)

[Victorian]

so basically it's 5 european places in all, for now. not an extra one because of the intertoto being absorbed by the europa league (as someone said).

 

i imagine as a result of these changes, and the poor performance of our representatives lately, it's going to be very difficult for our europa league teams to quailify for the group stages... due to the number of rounds they have to negotiate, the unlikely event of being seeded in draws and the standard of opponents.

 

in recent years, scotland have had hearts & rangers in the group stages of the uefa cup at the same time, as well as rangers and aberdeen on one other occassion each. motherwell could quite easily have made it this season. it may be that there will be a shortage of scottish teams in it for a while, possibly only the OF.

 

i'll be more than happy to see hearts there at all, in any capacity. we'll just have to take our chances in the event of being there.