Reds To Defend European Crown

Liverpool To Defend European Title

Liverpool will be allowed to defend their Champions League trophy next season and the rules have been changed to ensure the holders will always qualify for the following season's competition, UEFA said on Friday.
Liverpool's fifth-place finish in the Premier League meant they were not entitled to a place in next season's Champions League, despite lifting the trophy after a penalty shootout win over AC Milan in last month's final.
UEFA's executive committee decided, however, in 'an exceptional decision' to allow them into the competition's first qualifying round, with their opening match on July 12 or 13. The draw for the first qualifying round takes place on June 24.

It means that England will have five representatives in the competition -- champions Chelsea, runners-up Arsenal, Manchester United, Everton and Liverpool. It is the first time any country has had more than four representatives and, according to UEFA, will be the last.
UEFA's statement said the number of clubs allowed per national association 'will remain stable, based on coefficient ranking.'
Therefore, from next season, a club winning the Champions League but finishing outside their country's allocation will qualify automatically at the expense of the lowest of the clubs above them.
UEFA chief executive Lars-Christer Olsson said the decision had been unanimous.
'There were no discussions on where they should enter the competition because everybody was of the opinion they should be given the opportunity but they have to start from the beginning,' he told the BBC.
It means that to retain the Champions League title Liverpool would have to play 19 matches, the first four in July and the first week of August, when they had planned a two-match tour to Japan.
'We welcome the decision to allow us in the competition next season,' Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry told the club's website.
'We will now consider the implications this will have on the pre-season training camp and Japanese tour.'
Liverpool's presence next season means that the four other English clubs' financial share in the Champions League will be reduced as the TV pot is cut five ways.
Liverpool will not be given 'country protection', meaning they could be drawn against another English side, including city rivals Everton, if they progress to the latter stages.

Brian Barwick, the chief executive of the English FA, thanked UEFA and president Lennart Johansson 'for listening to the strength of the argument for Liverpool's entry'.
'The overwhelming view across Europe was that they should be given this opportunity, and this was reflected by the UEFA Executive Committee's decision,' he told the FA website.
'We always said that this was an exceptional situation which required an exceptional solution.'
The FA had decided not to follow a Spanish precedent by putting Liverpool forward at the expense of fourth-placed finishers, Everton.
Real Madrid were crowned European champions in 2000 but finished fifth in the Primera Liga, prompting the Spanish FA to enter them for the following season's Champions League and relegate fourth-placed Real Zaragoza to the UEFA Cup.
Friday's decision is also good news for Fenerbahce, Wisla Krakow, and the teams vying for the Romanian league title.
Because UEFA had always allocated a place in the group stage for the holders, Liverpool's absence opened a slot that will now be filled by Turkish champions Fenerbahce, who originally would have had to play in the third qualifying round.
Polish champions Wisla move up from the second qualifying round to the third, while the Romanian champions -- whose identity will be discovered on Saturday -- move up from the first qualifying round.
Manchester City, who finished eighth in the Premier League, had hoped to take the UEFA Cup slot vacated by Liverpool but UEFA said that would not be the case and no extra club would go into the second-tier competition.