As the fans of clubs in the FA Cup semi-finals look forward to their games this weekend, it is a timely moment for us to reflect on the FA’s recent decision to remove all replays from the FA Cup from next season. This is a decision that was made with virtually no consultation of the Clubs in the EFL and appears to be a knee jerk reaction to the expanded UCL tournament and the additional midweek fixtures it brings.
In effect, for the sake of four, or maybe five, elite Premier League Clubs, part of the magic of the FA Cup will be lost. The opportunity for any club to host any opposing team, something that makes the FA Cup so special, is dramatically reduced and a valuable source of additional funding, is cut. For supporters, the chance to visit new towns and stadia, to watch their team play against different levels of opposition, and to see a wider variety of players, is something most of us would not want to lose.
To quote the Football Supporters’ Association, “The level of anger at the decision to scrap replays should not come as a surprise to anyone at the FA as we have consistently made clear, in a number of recent meetings, what supporter feeling is when it comes to this issue.
In addition we outlined the problems that stretching a “weekend” from Friday to Monday causes travelling supporters but the FA are still pressing on with that scheduling and even extending it during the 4th Round which will run from Friday to Wednesday. More TV disruption for matchgoers.”
The FA Cup is a celebration of the football pyramid and the replay is part of that. Extra time and penalties from Round 3 will make it even harder for giant killing acts, will detract from supporters’ opportunities to watch their team, and further diminish a historic tournament that is followed around the World.