.... Newcastle United have been told they have won it for their European exploits.
Apparently, United have landed the InterToto Cup after becoming the only entrant from the summer competition to reach the last 32 of the UEFA Cup.
But Newcastle United were so shocked, they even had to contact UEFA to ask if such a cup exists! And the governing body insist it is not a joke.
Glenn Roeder: "A cup is a cup. I would imagine the lads will be pleased to receive it. It would be disrespectful to consider it a lesser tournament, as some managers do.
"It's little bit of a reward for the boys who had to come back on June 26 to play in the competition."
In a new format this year, eleven teams rather than three came through the Intertoto event, entering the UEFA Cup in the second qualifying round, a stage earlier than before. Of those Newcastle, Grasshopper-Club, OB Odense and AJ Auxerre reached the group stage, and only the Toon earned a place in last Friday's Round of 32 draw.
And how bizarre, you win a cup ... yet it takes three months to be presented with it! There will now be a presentation of the trophy, which has not previously been awarded outright since becoming a UEFA competition in 1995, before the second leg of the next UEFA Cup match on 22 February at St. James' Park.