Clubs enraged at deal to end replays
ENGLISH football is in uproar after the FA and Premier League struck a deal to scrap FA Cup replays. A stunned English Football League spoke of their ‘frustration and disappointment’ with the top flight and governing body after the bombshell move was announced yesterday, while clubs branded it a ‘disgrace’ and called for action. EFL chiefs say they only gave their approval on the basis that axing replays from the first round on would be part of the still-outstanding financial resettlement with the top flight. And furious executives have said they will now seek compensation — while clubs have claimed they only found out after the FA’s statement. The FA said the cull, which comes with ‘up to £33million additional funding for grassroots’, was driven by the imminent expansion of UEFA competitions. From next season, all clubs in Europe will play two extra group matches. The FA added that the six-year agreement, which starts next season, would ensure all rounds are played on weekends, including the fifth round, which has taken place in midweek for the past five years. There will be no Premier League fixtures on the weekends of the fourth and fifth rounds for the first time, and the FA Cup final will take place on the penultimate weekend of the top-flight season. While no Premier League matches will go ahead the day before the FA Cup final, they will be played the day after.
The winter break will disappear but players will be guaranteed three weeks off in the summer. In what rapidly developed into a seismic row, FA insiders have spoken of being ‘mystified’ at the EFL response, pointing out that the calendar was signed off by the Professional Game Board, which includes EFL chairman Rick Parry, and club executives Peter Ridsdale (Preston), Steve Kavanagh (Millwall) and Jez Moxey (Burton). ‘It’s for the EFL to keep their clubs updated,’ a source responded.
EFL insiders are adamant that the switch was presented as a fait accompli, and that the EFL board were not consulted. League One Peterborough owner Darragh MacAnthony was one of many to hit out. ‘We are now at the stage where the big boys don’t even bother to notify us about, or talk through, changes,’ he said. ‘I have no idea what the Premier League or the FA are thinking. If this is a sign of things to come, then expect a full-on fallout within English football, caused by one faction of our game. It is time to show some minerals in how we respond to these events.’