By David Williams
Cardiff City, Swansea City, Newport County and Wrexham could all soon be seeking compensation for changes to the FA Cup that County boss Graham Coughlan has denounced as “disastrous”.
The EFL will seek compensation for its clubs over the “frustrating and disappointing” decision to scrap all FA Cup replays from next season.
League sources say it was sidelined from the decision, which was announced by the Football Association on Thursday.
Coughlan – whose Newport club have earned precious incoming running into hundreds of thousands of pounds after Cup replays in recent years – said the change is an outrage.
It’s a disaster for the EFL, for all the clubs, for all the fans,” he said.
“It shows the divide between those who have and those who have not. The ones that count in football and the ones who don’t.
“It’s a shocking decision, absolutely shocking for football, the romance of the FA Cup and for all lower league clubs.
“It’s driven by the big four, whoever they may be each season, making the Champions League.
“Again there was no democracy, no vote, no opinions, there was nothing like that sought. I think there are 730 clubs or something like that, who start in the FA Cup and that is massive when only the top 20 clubs in the country get a say on it and the other 720 don’t.”
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EFL chief executive Trevor Birch said: “Whilst the league had previously been involved in discussions over the future of the calendar, these were predicated on the agreement of a new financial deal with the Premier League for EFL clubs which has not progressed.
“This is frustrating and disappointing given the calendar is a shared asset across football, and as we have consistently said a whole game approach is required to find solutions to complex fixture scheduling challenges.
“Our domestic calendar has been put under extreme pressure by the expansion of UEFA competitions and ultimately this represents another lost traditional revenue stream for EFL clubs at a time when the financial gap between the biggest clubs and those further down the pyramid is growing bigger than ever.
“We will now be discussing the implications for EFL clubs and seeking appropriate compensation arrangements.”
The FA’s media release confirming the format changes said the overall calendar for next season – including an FA Cup without any replays – was approved by its Professional Game Board, which features four EFL representatives including its chairman Rick Parry, along with four representatives from the Premier League.
The abolition of FA Cup replays from the third round had long been expected to help clubs deal with the expansion of the Champions League, which will feature 64 more matches next season and spill into January for the first time.
How close are we to the EFL boycotting the FA Cup for next season?
Every club statement coming out right now is mutinous at best. pic.twitter.com/af7R2o4PYa
— Sanny Rudravajhala (@Sanny_Rudra) April 19, 2024
The FA, EFL and Premier League had been involved in ‘New Deal’ talks over funding and the domestic calendar, but negotiations over a new financial settlement between the EFL and the Premier League have been put on hold after top-flight clubs opted in March to first focus on agreeing new cost control measures.
The EFL had announced on January 24 that it would not make any changes to the format of next season’s Carabao Cup until a new financial deal had been agreed. That leaves open the possibility of clashes between that competition and UEFA dates in the new calendar.
FA sources have challenged the notion that replays, which have been a major part of its tradition for 150 years, are major revenue earners for lower-league clubs.
Of the 19 third and fourth-round replays in the last 10 years where an EFL side were away, 12 had an attendance of over 25,000. Only a very small percentage of first and second-round replays over the same period achieved attendances of over 7,000.
Replays remain popular with fans however, with 69.5 per cent of those polled in a Football Supporters’ Association survey last summer believing they were an important part of the FA Cup.
The FSA has yet to comment on the scrapping of replays.
The changes also mean fifth-round ties reverting to weekends after five seasons of them being played in midweek. The fourth round, fifth round and quarter-finals will also be played on ‘exclusive’ weekends without Premier League action, while the fourth round will be split across six days from Friday to Wednesday.
"It’s a bit of a disaster for football, disaster for the EFL, for all the clubs, for all the fans.
"It shows the divide between those who have and those who have not."
County boss Coughlan slams the decision to scrap FA Cup replays.https://t.co/9CvwogcUTe
— Argus on County (@argusoncounty) April 19, 2024
The FA Cup final will be played on the penultimate weekend of the Premier League season, but no Premier League matches will be scheduled on the Saturday it is played, the FA said.
The late May Bank Holiday weekend has been ringfenced for the EFL play-offs.
The mid-season break has also been scrapped in order to allow the 2024-25 Premier League season to start in mid-August. It is hoped the longer break will ensure top-flight clubs are able to give their players a consecutive three-week break.
The agreement between the FA and the Premier League will see up to an extra £33million of funding flowing to the football pyramid each season.
FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said the move would strengthen the FA Cup, while his Premier League counterpart Richard Masters said the changes had been agreed “without compromising the excitement of knockout football”.
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