Charlton awaiting Fair Play results

Charlton face an agonising wait before they know whether they have gained automatic entry into the UEFA Cup through the Fair Play League.

The south-east London club are the highest-placed team in the Premier League’s Fair Play table not to have qualified for Europe, so will be England’s representatives.

The national association which tops UEFA’s Fair Play League automatically earns an extra place in the qualifying round of the 2004-05 UEFA Cup with two others standing to gain places via a draw of those with a coefficient of eight or more.

Up to the last week in April, Sweden topped the ranking with an average of 8.296 points followed by Denmark with 8.277.

Third were England (8.222) with Norway (8.194) fourth and Finland (8.123) completing the Scandinavian challenge.

But with only 0.074 separating the top three and a month to go England could yet make it to first place which would see Charlton handed an automatic place.

The Fair Play draw will be made a week after the rankings have been finalised during the final of the European Under-21 Championship to be played in Bochum on June 8.

Apart from discipline, marks are given for attacking play and a sporting attitude towards opponents and officials.

Ipswich and Manchester City have won UEFA Cup places through the Fair Play League in recent seasons.

If Alan Curbishley’s team are successful it would give England an unlikely UEFA Cup quartet of Charlton, Millwall, Middlesbrough and Newcastle for next season.