FA HOLD FIRM ON CUP REPLAYS

ThE FA are refusing to give ground in the face of attempts from the Premier League to scrap FA Cup replays after 2024 to accommodate the expansion of the Champions League to 10 group games per club. Cup replays were temporarily removed in each of the past two years to help with the fixture backlog caused by Covid-19, but will take place in the third and fourth rounds this season, with seven replayed ties scheduled for midweek. Replays are a lucrative source of revenue for the FA as they provide broadcasters with prime-time midweek matches at the height of winter, and the governing body will demand significant compensation from the Premier League in order to give them up. The FA are also seeking to alter the distribution of prize money in favour of smaller clubs by increasing payments made for progress in earlier rounds.