Fulham to skip Intertoto

Junichi Inamoto will not get the opportunity to repeat his Intertoto Cup heroics after Fulham reversed plans to enter the competition they won last summer, against the wishes of manager Jean Tigana.

Inamoto scored four goals against Bologna in the two-leg final of the tournament in August as Fulham booked their place in the UEFA Cup, from which they were ultimately eliminated in the third round.

The club did not specify why they had decided not to re-enter the tournament but a spokesman confirmed that fatigue generated by the extra matches and early start to the season had influenced the move.

Fulham's Premiership clash with bottom club Sunderland on Saturday will be the team's 49th match of their season, which started with an Intertoto fixture on July 6, just six days after the World Cup final.

Manager Jean Tigana and his players have been quick to blame the much-derided summer tournament for tiredness and injuries as the season has developed.

But the French coach, expected to leave when his three-year contract runs out in June, had wanted his side to enter the Intertoto again.

After their UEFA Cup campaign ended in December, Tigana said: "The important thing is to get into Europe again and become a bigger club.

"I don't know if it's possible to qualify through the league, but I'd do the Intertoto again - absolutely."

Qualifying for the UEFA Cup through their league position is almost certainly out - the Cottagers are just 11 points above the relegation zone - but they stood a decent chance of winning a slot in the Intertoto.