The UEFA Respect Fair Play ranking was used by UEFA from 1995 to the 2015–16 season to grant three berths for the first qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League. Since that time it has granted a monetary prize to winning associations.

Qualification system

1995–1998

The three highest-performing associations in the UEFA Fair Play ranking were given an extra UEFA Cup berth for the best-finishing team in their top division who have not qualified for the following season's UEFA Champions League, UEFA Cup Winners' Cup or UEFA Cup. Which round the teams started from depended on their association's UEFA coefficient.

1999–2008

The highest-finishing club in the Fair Play rankings of a qualifying association, not yet participating in either the UEFA Champions League or the UEFA Cup (the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup became defunct after 1998–99), were potential contenders for the three remaining berths. The club from the association which won the Fair Play ranking qualified automatically for the First Qualifying Round of the UEFA Cup. The two other associations were drawn from the rest that have reached the threshold of minimum games and had a score of at least 8.0.

2009–2015

The three highest placed national associations in the UEFA Respect Fair Play ranking each automatically gained an extra qualification berth for the first qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League, providing they exceeded the threshold of games played, and had a minimum average score of 8.0. These berths were then allocated to the highest placed club in that association's own Fair Play league that had not yet qualified a UEFA competition.

2015–present

Based upon a UEFA Executive Committee decision, approved in December 2014, from the 2015–16 season onwards, Fair Play no longer grants entry to the Europa League, instead only netting the victorious association a cash prize to be put towards "fair play or respect-themed projects".[1] It is assessed on three categories: overall fair play, year-on-year fair play (most improved association) and spectator behaviour, with each association being scored and an association being declared the winner for each category. No association can win more than one category, meaning that on receiving one category award, an association becomes ineligible to win either of the other two, with the three categories being ranked in importance so that it can be determined which category takes preference.

Ranking

All representative teams from a football association are responsible for the score of the Fair Play ranking of that association. This includes matches of all national teams and all clubs in all UEFA competitions. The ranking assessment period was also changed in 2015, and is now from 1 July to 30 June the following year. For the transitional season of 2015–16, the ranking assessment period covered all matches between 1 May 2015 and 30 June 2016).[2]

Criteria

Teams are judged on the following criteria:

  • Yellow and red cards: If no cards are shown the score will be 10. Every yellow card will deduct this total by 1. A red card will cost a team 3 points in the ranking. If the red card is the result of a second yellow card, the deductions of the second yellow card will be ignored. But if a player gets a direct red card after he got a yellow card earlier, the yellow card will be counted as a deduction. This score could become negative.
  • Positive play: e.g. attacking tactics, acceleration of the game, efforts to gain time, and continued pursuit of goals. A team can score a maximum of 10 points and a minimum of 1 point
  • Respect to the opponent: e.g. returning the ball to the opponent at a throw-in, helping an injured opponent: maximum 5 points, minimum 1 point
  • Respect to the referee: maximum 5 points, minimum 1 point
  • Behaviour of the team officials: maximum 5 points, minimum 1 point
  • Behaviour of the fans: maximum 5 points, minimum 1 point
NB: this criterion is ignored when the number of fans is negligible e.g. if there are no fans at all or because of penalty that was given by the UEFA

The total number of points are divided by the maximum number of points, 40 (or 35 if there are a negligible number of fans), and multiplied by 10 which will result in a score between 0 and 10. The score is calculated to two decimal points and not rounded up.

2014–15 final ranking

The ranking below covers matches from 1 May 2014 to 30 April 2015 and is the final ranking.[3]

The top three associations (Netherlands, England, Republic of Ireland) gained an extra qualification berth for the 2015–16 UEFA Europa League first qualifying round.[4]

Rank Member association Total points Matches played
1Netherlands Netherlands8.151110
2England England8.146160
3Republic of Ireland Republic of Ireland8.14466
4Finland Finland8.14168
5Denmark Denmark8.12888
6Germany Germany8.123146
7Norway Norway8.11371
8Iceland Iceland8.08953
9Sweden Sweden8.087110
10Scotland Scotland8.08395
11Spain Spain8.039159
12Austria Austria8.01571
13Northern Ireland Northern Ireland8.00347
14Switzerland Switzerland8.00196
15Belgium Belgium7.967107
16France France7.960115
17Italy Italy7.953147
18Czech Republic Czech Republic7.92875
19Wales Wales7.92452
20Poland Poland7.91172
21Kazakhstan Kazakhstan7.87959
22Russia Russia7.872126
23Faroe Islands Faroe Islands7.86843
24Armenia Armenia7.86472
25Slovenia Slovenia7.84871
26Israel Israel7.84355
27Lithuania Lithuania7.82455
28Romania Romania7.81180
29Cyprus Cyprus7.79069
30Portugal Portugal7.768128
31Slovakia Slovakia7.76576
32Croatia Croatia7.76086
33Estonia Estonia7.75352
34Serbia Serbia7.74976
35Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina7.74255
36Hungary Hungary7.73868
37Ukraine Ukraine7.700122
38Greece Greece7.69484
39Georgia (country) Georgia7.68445
40Belarus Belarus7.67883
41Moldova Moldova7.64253
42Turkey Turkey7.61590
43Malta Malta7.60045
44Montenegro Montenegro7.59244
45Latvia Latvia7.56549
46North Macedonia Macedonia7.50051
47Azerbaijan Azerbaijan7.44159
48Albania Albania7.34838
50Gibraltar Gibraltar7.80921
51Liechtenstein Liechtenstein7.76718
52Luxembourg Luxembourg7.72024
53San Marino San Marino7.48524
54Andorra Andorra6.92232

Cut-off: 37 matches played
Group 1: 37 or more matches played; Group 2: fewer than 37 matches played.

Winners (1995–2015)

The UEFA Fair Play winners in the rankings by year since 1995 to 2015 were:

Year First association Nominated team Second association Nominated team Third association Nominated team References
1995Norway NorwayVikingEngland EnglandLeeds UnitedLuxembourg LuxembourgAvenir Beggen[5]
1996Sweden SwedenMalmöRussia RussiaCSKA MoscowFinland FinlandJazz Pori[note 1][5]
1997Norway NorwayBrannEngland EnglandAston VillaSweden SwedenÖrebro[5]
1998England EnglandAston VillaFinland FinlandFinnPaNorway NorwayMolde[5]
Year Top association Nominated team Drawn References
Association Nominated team Association Nominated team
1999Scotland ScotlandKilmarnockNorway NorwayBodø/GlimtEstonia EstoniaJK Viljandi Tulevik[5]
2000Sweden SwedenNorrköpingBelgium BelgiumLierseSpain SpainRayo Vallecano[5]
2001Belarus BelarusShakhtyorFinland FinlandMYPASlovakia SlovakiaMatador Púchov[5]
2002Norway NorwaySK BrannEngland EnglandIpswich TownCzech Republic Czech RepublicSigma Olomouc[8]
2003England EnglandManchester CityFrance FranceLensDenmark DenmarkEsbjerg[9]
2004Sweden SwedenÖsterArmenia ArmeniaMikaUkraine UkraineIllichivets Mariupol[10][11][12]
2005Norway NorwayVikingGermany GermanyMainz 05Denmark DenmarkEsbjerg[13]
2006Sweden SwedenGefleBelgium BelgiumRoeselareNorway NorwayBrann[14]
2007Sweden SwedenHäckenFinland FinlandMYPANorway NorwayLillestrøm[15][16]
2008England EnglandManchester CityGermany GermanyHertha BSCDenmark DenmarkNordsjælland[17][18][19]
Year Top association Nominated team Second association Nominated team Third association Nominated team References
2009Norway NorwayRosenborgDenmark DenmarkRandersScotland ScotlandMotherwell[20]
2010Sweden SwedenGefleDenmark DenmarkRandersFinland FinlandMYPA (a)[21]
2011Norway NorwayAalesundEngland EnglandFulhamSweden SwedenHäcken[22][23]
2012Norway NorwayStabækFinland FinlandMYPANetherlands NetherlandsTwente[24]
2013Sweden SwedenGefleNorway NorwayTromsøFinland FinlandMariehamn[25]
2014Norway NorwayTromsøSweden SwedenBrommapojkarnaFinland FinlandMYPA[26]
2015Netherlands NetherlandsGo Ahead EaglesEngland EnglandWest Ham UnitedRepublic of Ireland Republic of IrelandUCD[4]

Notes:

  • Teams that performed the best in a given year when compared to the other two Fair Play qualifiers, either by advancing further or earning more points, are listed in italic.
  • (a): Both Randers and MYPA made to the 3rd Qualification round however MYPA had more wins in the tournament.

Most wins

Best performances

The furthest that a team progressed from a fair-play entry was the quarter-finals, achieved by Aston Villa (1997–98), Rayo Vallecano (2000–01) and Manchester City (2008–09), with Manchester City being the only team to have progressed beyond the group stage since this was introduced in 2004–05.[27]

Winners (since 2015–16 season)

The UEFA Fair Play winners by category in the rankings (with updated format) are:

Season Overall fair play Best spectators Best progression Prize money Reference
2015–16 Norway Norway Estonia Estonia Belarus Belarus €50,000 for each [28]
2016–17 Iceland Iceland Finland Finland Georgia (country) Georgia [29]
2017–18 Finland Finland Faroe Islands Faroe Islands Northern Ireland Northern Ireland €50,000 for each [30]
2018–19 Georgia (country) Georgia [31]

See also

Notes

  1. England's Football Association were the top-ranked association for 1996 but were denied their berth (to Everton) by UEFA as punishment for member clubs Tottenham Hotspur and Wimbledon fielding weakened teams in the 1995 UEFA Intertoto Cup.[6][7]

References

  1. "New Respect Fair Play reward criteria". uefa.com. 16 February 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  2. "UEFA Fair Play Regulations 2015" (PDF). UEFA.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 May 2015.
  3. "UEFA Respect Fair Play Final Rankings 2014/15" (PDF). UEFA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Netherlands, England, Ireland get Fair Play bonus". UEFA.com. 8 May 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Fair Play Ranking". Bert Kasses. Retrieved 14 April 2011.
  6. "English clubs pay for Intertoto fiasco". The Independent. 16 December 1995. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  7. "FAQ: Qualification and Seeding for the European Cups". Bert Kassies. Retrieved 29 September 2020.
  8. "Norway Top Rankings". UEFA. Archived from the original on 29 March 2008. Retrieved 19 May 2008.
  9. "City Reward for English Fair Play". UEFA. 3 June 2003. Retrieved 22 March 2011.
  10. "Sweden Top Fair Play Ranking". UEFA. Archived from the original on June 19, 2007. Retrieved 19 May 2008.
  11. "Sweden Top Fair Play Ranking". Xinhua News Agency. 4 June 2004. Retrieved 22 March 2011.
  12. "Söderberg seals Öster success". UEFA. 29 July 2004. Retrieved 22 March 2011.
  13. "Viking Rewarded for Fair Play". UEFA. 1 June 2005. Retrieved 22 March 2011.
  14. "Sweden Tops Fair Play Ranking" (PDF). UEFA. 1 June 2006. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 November 2012. Retrieved 19 May 2008.
  15. "Sweden earn UEFA Cup place via Fair Play ranking" (PDF). UEFA. 9 May 2007. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 February 2009. Retrieved 19 May 2008.
  16. "Nordic nations win Fair Play places". UEFA. 15 May 2007. Retrieved 19 May 2008.
  17. "England win Fair Play" (PDF). UEFA. 9 May 2008. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 February 2009. Retrieved 19 May 2008.
  18. "Fair Play bonus for Germans and Danes". UEFA. 13 May 2008. Retrieved 22 March 2011.
  19. "FC Nordsjælland i UEFA Cup'en". Dansk Boldspil-Union. 25 May 2008. Retrieved 25 May 2008.
  20. "Norway confirmed as Fair Play winners". UEFA. 13 May 2009. Retrieved 22 March 2011.
  21. "Sweden top Fair Play rankings". UEFA. 10 May 2010. Archived from the original on 12 May 2010. Retrieved 11 May 2010.
  22. "Fair Play bonus for Norway, England and Sweden". UEFA. 16 May 2011. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
  23. "Fair Play Table | Official Site of the Premier League - Barclays Premier League News, Fixtures and Results | Matchday". Archived from the original on 2007-11-13.
  24. "Norway wins UEFA Respect Fair Play ranking". UEFA. 7 May 2012. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
  25. "Respect Fair Play bonus for Sweden, Norway, Finland". UEFA.com. 13 May 2013.
  26. "Norway, Sweden, Finland top Respect Fair Play table". UEFA.com. 8 May 2014.
  27. "UEFA Cup/Europa League Trivia". Rssf. Retrieved 19 May 2015.
  28. "Lyon to host 2018 UEFA Europa League final". UEFA. 9 December 2016.
  29. "Georgia's Football Federation receives special UEFA award for best progress".
  30. "2017/18 UEFA fair play competition winners". UEFA. 22 November 2018.
  31. "2018/19 UEFA fair play competition winners". UEFA. 17 January 2020.
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