FA Cup replays will be scrapped from the First Round Proper at the beginning of the 2024/25 season, the Football Association has confirmed.
Leeds United and the 71 other English Football League clubs have allegedly not been consulted on the change to how the oldest cup competition in football is run from next season, a decision which has not been well-received by those up and down the English football pyramid.
Tranmere Rovers’ vice chairman Nicola Palios has voiced her opposition to the move, calling for clubs to protest over what is perceived to be another attempt to appease Premier League clubs, many of whom compete on multiple fronts and in European competition.
Palios said: “729 teams compete in the @TheFACup. Why is its format being dictated by the @premierleague who represent c.3% of them? Why were @EFL clubs not given a say? Why is the EPL even dictating whether replays are allowed in rounds they don’t participate in? Protest is needed!”
As a result of the format change, which has been agreed in line with the Premier League, an additional £33 million per season will be distributed to clubs lower down the football pyramid.
Replays had already been phased out from the Fifth Round stage onwards this season, but beginning next season will be completely abolished. Fifth Round ties are also set to take place on weekends, as opposed to midweek, while matches at the Fourth Round, Fifth Round and Quarter Final stage will be played independent of Premier League fixtures, meaning the competitions will not operate concurrently on the same days.
The competition’s finale will also be played on the penultimate weekend of the Premier League season, although no top-flight fixtures will be played on the Saturday of that weekend, when the FA Cup Final is held.
Scheduling of fixtures has been a hot topic over the past couple of seasons with managers of Premier League clubs, particularly those competing in Europe, complaining of the congested schedules their players face. Scrapping FA Cup replays seeks to alleviate this issue, but some clubs in the EFL are unhappy with the move, considering Premier League sides do not compete in the First and Second Rounds of the cup.
Gate receipts from replayed fixtures often go a long way to helping EFL clubs financially, especially when drawing away to a Premier League or high-profile Championship side before hosting the replay at their own ground, therefore opposition to the move is understandable.
Leeds manager Daniel Farke has voiced his concerns over player welfare on multiple occasions this season as United made it to the Fifth Round of the FA Cup and were forced into a replay against Plymouth Argyle during the previous round in what was already a busy month with trips to Home Park, Swansea City and Bristol City. Leicester City boss Enzo Maresca has also shared his disdain for the Championship fixture list more recently.
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