The Football Association and Premier League have been accused of a “total lack of respect for the football pyramid” over changes to the FA Cup.
Emirates FA Cup replays will be scrapped after the first round in the 2024-25 season, with all rounds of the competition being played over weekends.
League Two side Tranmere Rovers said they condemned the “disgraceful” changes.
Peterborough chairman Darragh McAnthony warned this could lead to “discord within English football”.
“Football League clubs, National League clubs and grassroots clubs were not consulted because this competition is not only a great opportunity for our supporters to create lifelong memories, but it is also a hugely important source of income. Ta.” said Tranmere in a statement.
“This decision and the way it was carried out shows a complete lack of respect for the world of football and its fans.
“We wholeheartedly condemn this change and urge the FA to immediately suspend it until all parties involved in the match have been properly consulted.”
Under the current system, there are no rematches in the FA Cup after the fifth round, but the FA is moving to eliminate rematches from an earlier stage “taking into account changes to the calendar due to the expansion of UEFA competitions''. It is said that
UEFA will launch the European Conference League in 2021, and the number of teams in next season's Champions League group stage will increase from 32 to 36, while FIFA will increase the number of teams participating in the Club World Cup for 2025. It has been announced that the number of teams will be expanded to 32.
The Football Supporters' Association (FSA) said it acknowledged the strain the football calendar placed on top clubs, but said the announcement was “not well received by many fans at home and abroad”. Ta.
The FSA said fans were concerned that the decision would diminish the “magic of the competition” and “shared those concerns with the FA.”
English Football League (EFL) chief executive Trevor Birch said the announcement was “frustrating and disappointing”, adding: “The financial disparity between the biggest clubs and those at the bottom of the pyramid is severe. Ultimately, this means the loss of another traditional revenue stream for EFL clubs.” It's getting bigger. ”
He added: “We will now discuss the impact on EFL clubs and seek appropriate compensation arrangements.”
The changes were made as part of a new six-year deal between the FA and the Premier League.
The FA said the deal would see the Premier League “provide up to an additional £33m for grassroots football on top of the £100m currently given each season for good causes”.
However, Peterborough chairman McAnthony said: “I have no idea what the Premier League or the FA are thinking in withdrawing this move.''
“We are now at a stage where major companies don't even bother to notify us or discuss appropriate changes.” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
He added: “If this is a harbinger of things to come, expect a full-scale feud in English football very soon, caused by a faction of our football.” “It's not healthy for our industry,” he said.
League One side Stevenage chairman Phil Wallace said scrapping replays would be a “huge financial disadvantage for National League and EFL clubs”.
“If you're coming from the perspective of the Premier League and the players and protecting them and the England game and everything else, you can see the logic,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“But football is not just for the Premier League, it is for the whole country and the 72EFL.” [clubs] And the National League.
“Imagine when a National League club draws with a Premier League club and they end up drawing at home. That's the magic of the FA Cup and that won't happen again.”
“The guardians of the game despise the FA Cup”
BBC pundit Pat Nevin, who played for Chelsea, Everton and Tranmere in England, said cup replays for lower league clubs “could earn them enough money to last for another two, three or four years. ” he said.
Gareth Davies, head of communications at National League club Truro City, echoed similar sentiments on BBC Radio 5 Live.
“The FA Cup is the jewel in the crown of knockout football in England. The FA, who are supposed to be the custodians of our game, seem to have contempt for the FA Cup,” Davies said.
“Even if there is a public backlash, I don’t think that will change, and that is a fact.
“For a club like ours, if we draw at home against Exeter City in the FA Cup and we manage to get a draw, that rematch would be very lucrative. “That will be taken away next season, but this It's so real.'' Shame. “
Frank May, chairman of eighth-tier Clay Valley Paper Mills, who won a first-round replay against League One side Charlton Athletic in this season's competition, said the draw “put us on the map”.
“We were getting offers to buy replica shirts from all over the world. It was something we could only dream of,” he said on BBC Radio 5 Live.
“This is not the way to go. The FA Cup is the world famous FA Cup and there are many memorable moments that would not have been seen had this rule been announced many years ago.”
What are the changes to the FA Cup?
The FA Cup qualifying rounds, in which teams from the fifth to tenth divisions of English football compete for the 32 spots in the first round, will be replayed even if the score is tied after 90 minutes.
The first round of the FA Cup will feature professional teams from League One and League Two, with teams from the Championship League and Premier League taking part in the third round.
Apart from the abolition of replays, other changes will mean that the fourth and fifth rounds, as well as the quarter-finals, will be held without clashing with Premier League matches for the first time.
The fourth round will be played in an extended period from Friday to Wednesday.
The FA Cup final has also been moved to the penultimate weekend of the Premier League season.
It will be held on a Saturday and is separate from the Premier League fixtures, with the Friday before the final also being held “to allow us to focus on preparations for the high-profile event”.
