Time is up for the extra half-hour

EXTRA TIME will not be played in next season’s Carabao Cup, provided the EFL board get the general backing of its clubs at their AGM on Friday.

Instead, matches will go straight to a penalty shootout after 90 minutes in a sop to Premier League clubs who have complained about their players getting exhausted during midweek fixtures.

It will be the first time in top-level English domestic football that games will have been decided in this manner

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without recourse to trying to settle games by playing an extra half-hour.

However, upon consultation with clubs and other stakeholders including TV rights holders, the EFL board feel it is a measure that would help encourage Premier League teams to continue to play reasonably strong teams in the competition. The board have direct control over competition regulations but will take an open vote of clubs when they discuss the issue at the AGM being held in Vilamoura, Portugal this week.

Clubs have also been asked in a letter sent out ahead of the meeting if they want to ditch the so-called ABBA system of penalties that is set to become the standard in the World Cup this summer because there are reports to suggest it confuses fans who are more used to teams taking their kicks in strict rotation.

Also VAR technology, which was used in the Carabao Cup semi-finals and final last season, will be employed throughout the competition whenever fixtures are played at Premier League grounds.

The seeding system used in round one and two of the competition is set to be abandoned, although the draw will continue to take place on a regional north and south basis until round three.