• Europa League

United & City do not deserve Europa spot - Redknapp

ESPN staff
December 9, 2011
Manchester United will play in the Europa League in the new year © Getty Images
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Harry Redknapp believes there is no place for the likes of Manchester United and Manchester City in the Europa League.

United's failure to secure a point in Basel saw them crash out of the Champions League, while City also failed to reach the knockout stages despite bowing out with a 2-0 win over Bayern Munich. But rather than focusing entirely on domestic competitions, the two sides will now enter the Europa League.

Redknapp guided Spurs into the knockout stages of the Champions League last season, but his side were forced to settle for the Europa League this term after failing to secure a top-four spot in the Premier League.

But Redknapp claims it makes no sense for a team to be knocked out of one competition, only to be instated into another.

"I don't know how you go from Champions League to the [Europa League] anyway," Redknapp said. "You get knocked out, you're out, surely? If you're in a competition and you get beaten you're out of it, what are you doing coming back in it again?

"If you get knocked out of the FA Cup we'll all come back for the semi-finals of the Carling Cup or something - it's unbelievable, I don't understand it.

"Even if you win it, you must feel, well really we weren't in that to start with - we didn't have to play all the silly qualifying games. It just doesn't make sense to me, it's strange. I don't know who invented those rules. You're out of the Champions League; you're out of the Champions League. See you next year."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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