Premier League
FA Cup Scraps Replays Over Expanded Uefa Fixtures
The Football Association (FA) has announced that FA Cup replays will be eliminated starting from the first round next season. This decision is part of a six-year agreement with the Premier League aimed at enhancing domestic competition.
Additionally, all FA Cup rounds will now take place on weekends, and the fourth and fifth rounds, along with the quarter-finals, will be scheduled independently of Premier League matches.
“From the first round proper, the competition will be played without replays,” the FA said. “The current format, which has no replays from the fifth round onwards, has been extended throughout the ‘Competition Proper’ in light of changes to the calendar driven by the expanded UEFA competitions”.
FA continued, “The FA Cup final will now take place on the penultimate weekend of the Premier League season, on an exclusive Saturday with no Premier League fixtures taking place on the same day.”
The mid-season break has been taken off the calendar to enable the Premier League to kick off in mid-August and allow for a more extended off-season break. However, the decision to gradually eliminate replays from the later stages of the FA Cup has faced criticism, with some observers arguing that it further diminishes the significance of the oldest domestic club competition in the world.
Historically, smaller clubs drawn to play at home against top-tier opponents in the FA Cup have benefitted financially from earning replays.
“This new agreement between the FA and the Premier League strengthens the FA Cup and gives this very special tournament exclusive weekends in an increasingly busy calendar,” Mark Billingham, CEO of England’s FA, said in a statement. “The new schedule ensures the magic of the cup is protected and enhanced while working for the whole of the English game.”
As per the agreement, the Premier League will boost its financial support to the English football pyramid by contributing an extra £33 million ($41.15 million) towards the development of grassroots football. This additional funding is in addition to the existing £100 million already provided by the Premier League to teams in lower leagues.
“This (investment) will improve facilities for communities and lower league clubs across the country, through the Football Foundation and Premier League Stadium Fund,” Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters said.
The upcoming FA Cup semi-finals will be held over the weekend. Manchester City the current holders, will face Chelsea on Saturday, while Coventry City will go up against Manchester United on Sunday.
