When are FA Cup games going to be played, and will the tournament be finished this season?
THE world’s oldest cup competition is on hiatus.
With the coronavirus outbreak causing carnage to the sporting calendar, domestic football in England has been cancelled – including all remaining FA Cup fixtures.
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Defending champions Man City are still in with a shout of retaining their crown, but face a potential banana skin clash against fellow Premier League side Newcastle.
When are FA Cup games going to be played?
THE draw for the quarter-finals of the FA Cup threw up some intriguing ties.
All of the games were due to be played over the weekend beginning March 21, with the remaining eight sides all hailing from the top-flight.
The last-eight draw in full:
- Sheffield United vs Arsenal
- Newcastle United vs Manchester City
- Norwich City vs Manchester United
- Leicester City vs Chelsea
EFL and Prem chiefs announced on March 19 that all leagues and competitions would be suspended until at least April 30 in the UK.
As such, there is no concrete date for when the quarter finals ties will be completed.
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When will tournament be finished?
AS with the above, nobody is quite sure yet.
The unprecedented move to suspend action for around 6 weeks has thrown the season into turmoil – and it’s not known yet how the Premier League and EFL will complete their fixture lists.
Upon cancelling the FA Cup until a later date, an FA statement read: “This action, which will be kept under constant review, has been taken due to the increasing numbers of clubs taking steps to isolate their players and staff because of the COVID-19 virus.
“It will also apply to all England team fixtures at every level and all FA competitions including the Emirates FA Cup and the Women’s FA Cup, along with academy and youth-team matches.
The decision is being made purely on the number of cases requiring self-isolation and the impact on facilities. Given the steps being taken across clubs, there is no alternative but for today’s action.
“However, all parties are committed at this time to trying to complete this season’s domestic fixture programme and are liaising to establish appropriate options to do so.”