Fulham given Europa League berth for fair play

Fulham will play in the Europa League next season after being awarded a place on Thursday under the Premier League's Fair Play League. England received an additional Europa League place for next season after finishing second in UEFA's national fair-play table. Chelsea finished top of the Fair Play League but had already qualified for the Champions League and Fulham were in second spot. Mark Hughes' side had just one player sent off in league matches all season - that happened in the very last game leading to suggestions that relegated Blackpool could pip them to the spot. The Premier League said in a statement: "Fulham FC has finished the season as the highest placed club in the 2010/11 Fair Play League that has not already qualified for UEFA competitions via the 2010/11 Barclays Premier League. "The club will take the additional European place awarded to England and compete in next season's UEFA Europa League."