Earned indeed....38 games of blood,sweat and my fkin tears....yet the incompetent twats at UEFA manage to make a mockery of a whole footballing season... Yet they choke on sticking a camera in the goal to assist referees!
Agreed. I do however think the holders should be given a place.
The rules state
b) If the title-holder comes from an association entitled to more than one place in the UEFA Champions League and does not qualify for the UEFA Champions League or UEFA Cup through its domestic competitions, the lowest-ranked club of the association’s UEFA Champions League representatives is automatically transferred to the UEFA Cup. In this case, the national association of the title-holder is entitled to one additional place in the UEFA Cup. (why?)
For the UEFA Cup
If the UEFA Cup title-holder does not qualify for either the UEFA Champions League or UEFA Cup through its domestic competitions, its participation in the UEFA Cup will not be at the expense of the contingent of its association.
That's just barmy, why have one rule for one tournament (that influences another tournament) and a contradicting rule for another (that is officiated by the same people)