England tops the fair play rankings in Europe

UEFA has announced that England topped the Fair Play rankings for both national teams and clubs in European competitions last season, ahead of Slovakia and Finland. UEFA explained that it evaluated English teams in 241 matches played by their clubs and national team throughout the season. The results showed England's superiority in several key criteria, most notably the low number of cards issued, respect for opponents and referees, and positive behavior from officials and fans. UEFA sends a delegate to each match in its competitions to assess the teams' conduct based on five main points: the number of cards issued, respect for opponents, respect for referees, conduct of team officials, and behavior of fans in the stands. The evaluation system also rewards teams that demonstrate high sportsmanship, such as assisting an injured opposing player or correcting a referee's mistake. Conversely, points are deducted from teams that deliberately waste time, feign injuries, or cause disturbances on the pitch. Regarding fans, supporters of the Faroe Islands topped the rankings, ahead of those from Moldova and Kazakhstan, while Albanian fans came in last. UEFA noted that Moldova was the most improved country in the fair play rankings this year, while announcing a financial prize of 50,000 euros for the top three countries in the rankings, to be allocated to support sports projects that promote the values ​​of respect and sportsmanship.