It's been a tough week for Portsmouth of the English Premier League. The team, facing certain relegation to the Championship division, is in what's called "administration"—a UK hybrid of what North Americans know as bankruptcy and receivership. On Wednesday, the club laid its debts out for all to see: 119 million pounds, that's roughly US $182 million, and nobody to pay it off.

The club was in a protracted argument with French club Lens over the status of striker Aruna Dindane. Lens loaned Dindane to Portsmouth in hopes of selling him on to another English club with actual money to pay. The loan agreement, however, specified a maximum number of games Dindane could play. Those games were up, and unless Lens relented, Portsmouth had to ship Dindane back to France or pay 4 million pounds.

Lens caved in, and Dindane scored both Portsmouth goals Saturday in a 2-2 away draw with Bolton.

The cruelest blow came Thursday: the EPL and England's soccer governing body, the FA, refused to back Portsmouth's late application for a club license to play in the Europa League next year. Amidst all the chaos on the field in the EPL this season, and amidst the huge financial meltdown off it, Portsmouth reached the FA Cup Final. The FA Cup winner gets to play in the Europa League –European soccer's version of college basketball's NIT. It's actually Portsmouth's bid win-or-lose, because Chelsea, Portsmouth's final opponent, will pass on the Europa League to be in next year's Champions' League regardless.

Except it's not Portsmouth's spot anymore. The license application was due March 1st, and Portsmouth never spent the time or money on it. Portsmouth did not expect to find itself in the Final, and didn't think European governing body UEFA would look favorably on the application. I guess they should have asked: UEFA confirmed this week that it would accept a late application, if the EPL and FA supported it.

With Portsmouth soon to be relegated from the EPL, the EPL would never back such a plan. Now the Europa League spot goes to the EPL's seventh-best team instead. So Portsmouth miss out on a chance to play in European competition next year—and a chance to make a few million in gate, TV revenue and prize money along the way.

When it rains on the South Coast of England, it pours.

• Also at the bottom end of the table, Hull now seems certain to be relegated after Saturday's home loss to Sunderland. While the club should avoid administration, the fire sale of players will soon begin. Can you imagine the financial calamity of a MLB team getting bounced down to AAA? Soccer clubs face this prospect every year, with the bottom few teams slipping down a division at the end of each season, replaced by the best teams in the division below.
• Manchester United are top of the table after Saturday's play: MU beat Spurs 3-1 to take a 2-point lead over Chelsea. Chelsea, now with a game in hand, can reclaim the lead Sunday should they win at home against Stoke on Sunday.
• Saturday's late game has Arsenal hosting Manchester City. City can leapfrog Spurs for fourth with a win, but it won't come easy.
• A rivalry game Sunday features the Birmingham derby. An in-form Aston Villa hosts a very out of form Birminghan side.