FA Cup rule changes: What is changing and will clubs be appealing?

National World - LocalTV

A look at the new rule changes in the FA Cup and how members of the football league are feeling after reviewing the news. After there seems to be some positive change, it’s been overshadowed by a replay rule that many will be disagreeing with.

Transcript

00:00The FA's decision to end replays from the first round next season has continued to anger

00:07EFL clubs who say they were not consulted. The FA will be urged by leading council members

00:13to allow some flexibility over the venue for FA Cup matches when minnows are drawn against

00:18big teams after its decision to scrap replays. It's understood that multiple members of the

00:23FA council would support a change in the rules to allow a smaller club, drawn at home against

00:29a Premier League giant, to request playing the tie away so that they benefit financially

00:34and provide fans with a memorable day out.

00:38All rounds of the FA Cup will now be played on weekends. It's a slight change to some

00:44of the schedules. We've seen top managers even come out and complain about the schedules.

00:49What's your thoughts on this, that there's more of a structure to it and that there's

00:53going to be, maybe this is more of a positive rule change?

00:57I mean, we'll get on to some of the other rule changes later which have caused more

01:00controversy but this is probably the best of the lot. Because the FA Cup as a competition,

01:05it deserves that sort of respect that it shouldn't have to compete with the leagues just to squeeze

01:12in and also having to have it in midweek just to get the games in as well. So yeah, it deserves

01:16that respect as it did in the past as well to have those exclusive weekends and so credit

01:23to them for installing that new rule. But as we'll come on to, it's one shining light

01:30in, let's be honest, a beacon of darkness.

01:33Yeah, and obviously the main, we're probably discussing the most controversy, that the

01:39competition will be played without replays from the first round onwards. I mean, myself

01:44and you have both worked in non-league football, we've both been close to non-league clubs

01:50and we understand how this affects grassroots football, how this affects the teams that

01:55they have to work for years to even get into the draw for the extra preliminary rounds

02:01which take so, so long for them to actually get to anywhere near the first round. But

02:06for example, if they draw a Liverpool, a Man United, an Arsenal, a Newcastle even, a top

02:11team and then they can draw with them at home, for example, and they don't get to go to the

02:18away leg now, it's absolutely shocking. It just doesn't consider these lower sides at

02:25all. What's your thoughts on this? Because it seems to be favouring the bigger clubs.

02:31As you say there, obviously in the qualifying rounds, replays will still exist, but it's

02:37after the first round proper. But that's where they really matter the most because that's

02:41where you'll be coming up against bigger sides if you are a smaller side. I mean, to be honest,

02:47they don't happen like every single fixture, but it's the fact that when they do happen

02:52they can be so special. Obviously there is the financial side of it as well, but I think

02:57more for me it's the tradition.

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