Jones demands justice for Cardiff

LONDON: Cardiff manager Dave Jones has pleaded with football's governing bodies not to ruin his side's FA Cup fairy tale after the Welsh club beat Barnsley 1-0 to book a place in the final.

The Bluebirds will face Portsmouth in English football's domestic showpiece on May 17 thanks to Joe Ledley's sublime goal in the semifinal at Wembley on Sunday.

Reaching its first FA Cup final in 81 years is a fitting reward for Cardiff at the end of a campaign that saw it narrowly avoid going into administration with debts of over 20 million pounds ($39,761,048).

But that achievement could be overshadowed by a row over Cardiff's eligibility to play in Europe.

The FA Cup winner traditionally qualifies for the UEFA Cup, but with Portsmouth possibly claiming a place in Europe this season through its Premier League position, there would be an extra European place up for grabs.

In that situation, the FA Cup runner-up would go into the UEFA Cup - as Millwall did in 2004 - but as a Welsh club, Cardiff is not affiliated to the English FA and is therefore not officially able to compete in Europe through the Cup.

Jones believes Cardiff has earned the right to enter the UEFA Cup by making it to the final.

He has support in the game's corridors of power with UEFA president Michel Platini expressing sympathy for the situation, while spokesman William Gaillard hinted it could be given a European "wild card".

"We have to be nominated by the Welsh FA and they are not going to do that. The English FA aren't going to do it either," Jones said. "I don't know what Cardiff holds, two and a half or three million, but I'm sure they'll be banging on someone's door.

"Platini has come out and said if it does happen we deserve to be there. It throws open the door now.

"Politically it's a minefield because with us getting to this final now there is no way they should stop us if we win it. If they stop us getting into Europe there will be all hell to play and I'll be first in the queue."

Regardless of Cardiff's European fate, it now has the chance to write one of the most unlikely chapters in the FA Cup's long and illustrious history.

Jones is convinced his team, which has already knocked off Middlesbrough this season, can win the Cup for the first time since 1927, when it beat Arsenal to become the only non-English club to lift the famous trophy.

"It's not about turning up and being a bit part. We want to win it and why shouldn't we? I've said all season if we play to our potential we are a match for anyone," Jones added.

"The final will be anyone's game. Portsmouth will be favorites but I've played against (Portsmouth manager) Harry Redknapp many times and beat him when I was at Stockport and he was at West Ham."

Jones's decision to show his players a DVD of their best goals on the coach en route to Wembley paid dividends when Ledley hooked in a volley in the ninth minute after Rob Kozluk failed to clear Tony Capaldi's long throw.

It was a dream come true for Cardiff-born Ledley and his side could have been further ahead before halftime.

When Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink's shot was weakly parried by Lee Steele, Trevor Sinclair looked certain to score. Instead Steele sprang across to bravely block Sinclair's close-range effort.

Sinclair had been denied at one end but it was his turn to save the day moments later as the former England winger hacked Istvan Ferenczi's shot off the line.

Kayode Odejayi, Barnsley's match-winner against Chelsea, had a glorious chance to outstrip even that memorable moment when he ran clean through in the 67th minute.

The Nigerian striker had an age to pick his spot but only managed to shoot tamely into the side-netting. It proved the decisive moment as the belief suddenly flooded out of Barnsley's tiring players.

Barnsley must return to a Championship relegation battle now, but boss Simon Davey is confident it will recover from a heartbreaking defeat.

"Whatever happened here we had six massive games in front of us. We have lost and the focus is on the league now," Davey said. "We have to make sure the players are picked up because we have a massive game at Watford this week.

"We have to pull together and make sure we stay in the Championship."

AFP

(China Daily 04/08/2008 page22)