England won't get fifth spot if Liverpool win says UEFA

England will face an agonising choice likely to be between the two Merseyside rivals for the Champions League next season if Liverpool win the trophy in May.

"It's not possible to have more than four places," a spokesman for European body UEFA said yesterday dismissing any chance that England might be handed a fifth berth in the continent's top club competition.

Liverpool are fifth in the premier league and still on course for their fifth European Cup crown. They meet Chelsea in the first leg of their semi-final in London tomorrow.

The top four in the premier league will qualify for the Champions League next season but if Liverpool are the holders, the Football Association will have to choose between them and the fourth team, at present their city rivals Everton who are three points ahead of them with a game in hand.

The FA was quoted by the BBC earlier yesterday as saying it had already broached the subject with UEFA.

The spokesman, however, said the FA had not to his knowledge brought up the subject officially with UEFA and such a request would be turned down in any case.

"It's in the (UEFA) regulations," he said.

"The country (in question) has to decide between the fourth-placed team in the domestic league or the title holders of the European Cup."

He said Spain had faced the same dilemma five years ago and opted to allow European Cup holders Real Madrid, who had finished fifth in Primera Liga, to defend their title and entered fourth-placed Real Zaragoza in the UEFA Cup.

A source close to the English game said: "In a way we would be penalised for our own success. If we had three spots in the competition we would get the extra place.

"It's only countries with four that don't get the extra place."

o Rafael Benitez will be more than happy to splash out on an expensive new watch for his wife if it means Liverpool have won the Champions League. That was the price the Liverpool manager had to pay for winning the Primera Liga and UEFA Cup with his former club Valencia last season. "When I was at Valencia my wife said that we would win the league. She was right and to mark the occasion she asked me for a new watch," Benitez said. "I bought her the watch, but then she said that we would win the UEFA Cup and that when we did she wanted another watch. Now she says that we will win the Champions League and that she will want an even more expensive watch. My wife has a lot of confidence... and a lot of watches."