Decision to scrap FA Cup replays angers EFL clubs
The decision to scrap FA Cup replays from next season, due to the expansion of the Champions League, has been met with fury by clubs outside of the Premier League.
EFL clubs only found out about the move to scrap replays after the FA sent out a press release confirming the controversial move, i can reveal.
Speaking to i, club owners and executives accused the Premier League and Football Association of regarding clubs outside the top-flight with “contempt” and operating a “monopoly” within the national game. Other executives have called for protests to take place against the Premier League dictating the format of the FA Cup. Bradford City CEO Ryan Sparks told i: “It is a decision that the EFL and its member clubs have not been consulted on.
“When you consider there’s over 700 clubs taking part in the FA Cup who make it what it is, to potentially have 20 make a decision alongside the FA – which should protect the wider game – shows you who truly runs the game.
“The Premier League appears to have control in this situation. I would have expected the FA to stand up for the rest of the game and govern. That doesn’t appear to have been the case, which is disappointing.
“While I understand there were some initial conversations between the EFL and Premier League on the calendar, that was on the basis of a new financial package between the two organisations that could have had a transformational effect. To all intents and purposes that conversation hasn’t just drifted, it’s quite possibly hit the rocks. My understanding is that’s nowhere near happening.”
Sparks added that, given the game’s seeming move towards greater transparency – with a football regulator on the way for the
game – the decision flew in the face of that commitment to consultation.
“I received the news how you received the news. I literally looked at my phone and read it out to a couple of staff in the office. That’s the way we were informed and I think the EFL found out the same way,” he said.
“It’s a really sad day for the game, particularly when talking about protecting the pyramid, the viability of football and sustainability of clubs.
“From a financial perspective, replays represent potentially irreplaceable funds. Bradford is a club which cares about cup competitions, we take them seriously, we’ve got a great history in them and in financial terms, we’re in a position where one replay against a bigger club would equal a significant proportion of our season ticket revenue.
“We would be talking about rebuilding elements of our ground, improving infrastructure, training ground – it would be life-changing. It’s not money you budget for but it’s money you could potentially reinvest and see benefits for decades. For some clubs lower down the pyramid it could mean a total new strategy.”
Rob Smethurst, owner of Northern Premier League side Macclesfield FC, told i: “The scrapping of replays will have a significant effect on lower division clubs and can essentially be regarded as the bigger teams looking after their own. Smaller clubs gain much revenue from replays every year and to deny them this opportunity is disappointing.
“The agreement is another example of the monopoly which exists within the national game and how clubs outside the top flight are regarded with contempt.”
The FA announced that replays would no longer take place from the competition’s first round “in light of changes to the calendar driven by the expanded Uefa competitions”. From the 2024-25 season the Champions League will adopt a “Swiss model”, replacing the traditional group stage, which will increase games. But FA Cup replays have long been a vital source of funds for clubs – particularly those further down the pyramid and outside the Football League. Alan Williams, chief executive at sixth-tier Eastbourne Borough FC, told i: ”Although I understand why they’ve done it, it does cut off important, valuable revenue streams for lower league clubs. Yet again, thoughts are only with those higher up the pyramid, and grassroots has been overlooked.”
When he was CEO of Crawley Town, drawing Manchester United away generated £1.5m in revenue for the club – funds that transformed the club and demonstrate how much money can be made.