Manchester City could win a place in the Uefa Cup after European football's governing body awarded the FA an extra place in next season's competition.

The decision was announced after English clubs came top of Uefa's Fair Play competition, meaning the Premier League is awarded an extra place in the first qualifying round of the competition.

Manchester City, in disarray over the impending dismissal of Sven-Goran Eriksson, look likely to benefit after the FA confirmed the place would be awarded to the highest-ranked team in the Premier League fair-play table that had not already qualified for Europe. City are fifth in that table, behind Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool - who are all already guaranteed European competition.

Uefa came to the decision after watching the 162 European matches featuring English clubs in the past year, basing their decision on positive play, respect of the opponent, respect of the referee, behaviour of the crowd and of the team officials, plus cautions and dismissals.

The news is bound to be greeted with mild amusement in Manchester, with the club in crisis after Thaksin Shinawatra, the owner, told Eriksson that he did not believe he was the man to take the club forward and would look for a new manager in the summer. Eriksson has already held negotiations with officials from Benfica as he ponders his next step, while Luiz Felipe Scolari, a potental replacement, has distanced himself from speculation he will become City manager next season.

In the fair play league, Everton are just a place behind City in sixth, needing to make up only half a point, with up to ten points awarded per match.

Unlike City, however, the Merseyside club are battling to claim the single point that would guarantee Uefa Cup football via a fifth-place finish in the Premier League. Should Everton lose and be overtaken by Aston Villa, who need to win at West Ham United to take fifth, the fair-play league could offer David Moyes' team a second chance.

Manchester City fans will stage a march outside the City of Manchester Stadium in support of Eriksson on Sunday. A petition signed by about 14,000 people will be handed to the club, according to Dave Wallace, the editor of club fanzine King of the Kippax. "This is not anti-Thaksin, it is pro-Sven and will be a peaceful protest," he said. "Whether it will make any difference I do not know but at least the fans will be able to register their feelings and let the owner know they are not happy."

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