Major changes to FA Cup with replays completely SCRAPPED in controversial move but more games on TV
FA CUP replays are set to be scrapped in new plans unveiled by the FA.
There are several changes to be brought in from next season that will stay in place for at least six years.
Replays were scrapped from the fifth round onwards in the 2018/19 campaign.
A year later the fifth round was moved to mid-week but the new FA changes mean every round will now be played on the weekend.
And there will be no more replays from the first round proper onwards.
Another change will see no Premier League games played on the same weekend as the fourth and fifth rounds as well as quarter-final the quarter-final.
That will make them exclusive FA Cup only weekends as the FA bid to restore the competition’s previous importance.
For similar reasons the final will also be played on a Saturday with no Premier League fixtures to take place on the same day.
But it will take place on the penultimate day of the season – marking a change from the current set-up.
There is also a move to focus on the build-up to the final by forbidding any Prem games being played on the Friday before.
Good riddance to replays
By Martin Lipton
THE FA and Premier League should have done the deal to scrap FA Cup replays years ago.
No doubt traditionalists will moan but it is right that the competition has finally been brought into the 21st century.
Ending replays will bring extra sharpness and excitement to the ties, with the knowledge that there will be a winner, whether in 90 minutes, extra-time or penalties.
If big guns have a bad day, they are more likely to pay the price. Replays after draws give them a fall-back they do not deserve.
Giving the FA Cup total and absolute priority over four weekends – and ensuring there is no competing match on the day of the Final – will enhance the profile of a competition that was in danger of falling out of the spotlight.
And as long as the FA ensures a better split of the prize money fund, weighting it more towards the earlier rounds, and potentially a similar move with TV match money, there should be few losers.
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Further changes include more TV coverage, with the fourth round including matches played from Saturday – Wednesday to allow for consecutive games of football.
And while changes to prize money – which could involve compensation to lower division clubs for the loss of replay income – have yet to be agreed, Prem chiefs have allocated a further £133m per season from 2025-26 for the pyramid.
Elsewhere the Prem will also undergo a huge change from next season as the winter break has been scrapped.