The reason why Premier League wanted to dilute FA Cup is reason why final is so vital to them
The FA and Premier League moved to remove replays in the competition to fierce backlash
A few weeks ago the announcement was made around the ‘strengthening’ of the FA Cup.
A decision delivered by the Football Association and one that had manifested itself following talks with the Premier League, from the first round proper of next season’s competition there will now no longer be any replays.
For decades the FA Cup has been the great equaliser of English football, a competition where all clubs get to dream, and where smaller clubs can earn money that could forever alter their own trajectory. It is a competition that has been the jewel in the crown of the domestic game for generations.
But the decision of the FA was driven by the desire of the biggest clubs to see a smaller domestic schedule, the blame laid squarely at the feet of ‘changes driven by expanded UEFA competitions’, according to a statement that accompanied the announcement back in April. Those same expanded European competitions may now be about to make the competition all the more significant.
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