Ottmar Hitzfeld leads the Milan party as Bayern grab the Champions Lge trophy (AlexLivesey/Allsport)

Many of you wanted to know how UEFA decide who plays in what European competition next season, how they rank countries to determine the amount of places they are allotted and, if England have been promoted to four Champions League places thanks to a new ranking, how come Leeds United will be playing the UEFA Cup next season?

Well, we'll have a go at answering your questions, but don't hesitate to drop us a line if you think we have missed something out. e-mail us

Ranking for Allocation

UEFA have set up a system of ranking countries so that teams from the most successful countries are rewarded with more places in Europe's most prestigious competition.

The system was also set up to ensure that smaller nations with fewer professional clubs and smaller populations still have an opportunity to compete with the biggest clubs in Europe - albeit after qualifying.

To that end, both the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup are run so that the champions of the smaller nations play off with runners-up and cup winners of the bigger nations in qualifying stages (played over two legs) for entry into the main competitions proper.

The Champions League

Europe's biggest club competition runs three qualifying rounds with clubs from the biggest nations entering in the third qualifying round, which is just below the First Group Stage, down to the smallest nations whose clubs start in the First Qualifying Round.

Smaller nations have the opportunity to enter at a higher stage if they do well in either competition. Each season, UEFA look at the performances in European competition of each country over the last five years and, from there, publish an allocation ranking system.

The Italian Question.

Many people are mystified as to why Italy still hold on to second place in the rankings, despite an appalling last couple of seasons in European competition. Well, if you look at Italian clubs' performances over the last five years, they still fare pretty well.

ALLOCATION...THE FACTS

Ranking of countries is determined by performance of all clubs over the last five years. Last season's competition doesn't count until next year Champions claim each country's highest entry into Europe, cup winners claim highest entry into UEFA Cup. Only three countries - Liechstenstein, Andorra and San Marino - don't receive Champions League places. 72 clubs are eligible for the Champions League next season, while 145 clubs will eventually play in the UEFA Cup.

In the last five years, four Italian clubs have appeared in UEFA Cup finals, while an impressive three appeared in five Champions League Finals between 1996 and 2000 (are you still with me?).

In next season's competition, Real Madrid and Valencia's Champions League final in 2000 will be counted, while the loss of Juventus' 1996 win has been enough to knock the Italians off the top.

England's Standing

The allocation is not decided on finalists alone, so Leeds United's achievement in reaching the semi-finals of the Champions League, along with Arsenal and Manchester United reaching the last eight, will not go unrewarded in the UEFA co-efficient rankings.

In fact, their achievement has meant that England move up to third above Germany and France for the following season's (2002-3) competition list, which has already been announced:

1 - Spain; 2 - Italy; 3 - England; 4 - Germany; 5 - France; 6 - Netherlands; 7 - Turkey; 8 - Greece; 9 - Russia; 10 - Portugal; 11 - Czech Republic; 12 - Belgium; 13 - Ukraine; 14 - Austria; 15 - Norway; 16 - Scotland; 17 - Switzerland; 18 - Croatia; 19 - Sweden; 20 - Poland.

Click Here for UEFA's Club Rankings for 2001.

The rankings take one year to come into effect because some European countries don't finish their season until the competition has started. For example, Finland's season runs from April until October, so there is no way of determining who the Finnish champions will be when the Champions League starts in July.

Anyway, here are the allocations for next season's (2001-2) European competition......

Ranking	Champions League allocation	UEFA Cup allocation	Which Teams?
1 - 3	2 group stage 2 3rd round qualifying	3 1st round	Spain, Italy, Germany
4 - 6	2 group stage 1 3rd round qualifying	3 1st round	France, England, Holland
7 - 8	1 group stage 1 3rd round qualifying	4 1st round	Russia, Czech Republic
9	1 group stage 1 3rd round qualifying	2 1st round	Greece
10	1 group stage 1 2nd round qualifying	1 1st round 1 qualifying round	Portugal
11 - 15	1 3rd round qualifying 1 2nd round qualifying	1 1st round 1 qualifying round	Turkey, Ukraine, Norway, Switzerland, Scotland
16	1 3rd round qualifying	1 1st round 2 qualifying round	Austria
17 - 18	1 2nd round qualifying	1 1st round 2 qualifying round	Belgium, Denmark
19 - 21	1 2nd round qualifying	3 qualifying round	Poland, Romania, Croatia
22 - 28	1 2nd round qualifying	2 qualifying round	Sweden, Hungary, Israel, Slovakia, Slovenia, Cyprus, Yugoslavia
29 - 46	1 1st round qualifying	2 qualifying round	Bulgaria, Georgia, Latvia, Finland, Belarus, Moldova, Iceland, Macedonia, Lithuania, Estonia, Wales, Armenia, Ireland, Malta, Northern Ireland, Faroe Islands, Luxembourg, Azerbaijan
47	No qualifiers	1 qualifying round	Liechstenstein
48 - 49	1 1st round qualifying	2 qualifying round	Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina
50 - 51	No qualifiers	1 qualifying round	Andorra, San Marino

Dates for your Diary:

July 11 First Qualifying Round begins (played over two legs)
July 25 Second Qualifying Round begins (played over two legs)
August 7-8 Third

The amount of entries to the two European competitions next season makes for impressive reading. There will be 71 other clubs attempting to take Bayern Munich's crown from them.

Meanwhile, the UEFA Cup is likely to have a new winner next season as Liverpool line up in the Champions League, although if they come unstuck there they could find themselves back in the UEFA Cup again.

Leeds will be hoping to make an impression, but they must fight their way through a colossal starting field of 145 teams, including three Intertoto teams, three Fair Play winners and 24 teams eliminated from the Champions League.

And with European competition kicking off in July, it's going to be a long haul until we find out the 2002 UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup winners.

Dates for your Diary:

July 11 First Qualifying Round begins (played over two legs)
July 25 Second Qualifying Round begins (played over two legs)
August 7-8 Third Qualifying Round begins (played over two legs)
August 9-23 UEFA Cup Qualifying Round (all rounds played over two legs)
August 23 Draw for First Group Stage
Sep 11 - Oct 31 First Group Stage played (each team plays six matches)
Sep 13 - 27 UEFA Cup First Round
Oct 18 - Nov 1 UEFA Cup Second Round
November 2 Draw for Second Group Stage
Nov 20 - March 20 Second Group Stage played (each team plays six matches)
Nov 22 - Dec 6 UEFA Cup Third Round begins

2002

Feb 21 - 28 UEFA Cup Fourth Round
March 14 - 21 UEFA Cup Quarter-Finals
March 22 Draw for Final Stages
Apr 4 - 11UEFA Cup Semi-Finals
Apr 2-3 and 9-10 Quarter Finals
Apr 23-24 and Apr 30-May 1 Semi-Finals
May 8 2002 UEFA Cup Final (venue to be arranged)
May 15 2002 Champions League Final at Hampden Park (Glasgow)

Got a question you need answering? Well, don't hesitate to get in touch!