The FA Cup could be set for huge changes that will impact teams up and down the pyramid.
The Premier League has put an offer to the FA as they look to sell overseas TV rights for the FA Cup for ten years from the 2024-25 season, but only on the basis that various terms are accepted, which would effectively hand total control to the top flight clubs.
The 152-year old competition has become a football institution in its own right but with concerns growing over its importance changes are set to be made. Replays have already been binned from the fifth round onwards, but the new deal would force the FA Cup to scrap them completely, as per the Daily Mail.
That is likely to anger teams lower down the pyramid, who have long relied on big away games to land major financial rewards. Early rounds could also be played in midweek so as not to interfere with the league calendar.
Crucially the FA Cup final weekend would also have to be scrapped. Currently the showpiece event at Wembley is the stand alone fixture that weekend, the most recent final being the first Manchester derby showdown. The Premier League however want it to take place alongside other fixtures.
The current proposal would see the FA Cup final played on the penultimate Saturday of the season with the remaining fixtures taking place on the Sunday. That could lead to some uproar with several clubs potentially having to squeeze a fixture in elsewhere late in the season if they find themselves in the final.
Domestic TV rights, currently held by ITV and BBC, could also be put on the market as part of the overseas deal. In return for the landmark changes the Premier League would offer an increased payment to the FA which would allow them to further fund grassroots football.
Previously the FA have been cautioned against selling the TV rights to the Premier League with former chairman David Bernstein telling The Times : “It is vital the FA maintains complete control of the FA Cup. We have already seen the loss of cup replays and the FA Cup being squeezed, and if the international rights are taken over by the Premier League this will be another sign of the weakening of the competition.
“The FA Cup has suffered because of the success of the Premier League and European competitions — no one can pretend it has the same status as 20 or 30 years ago. Even if it means more money than the FA could get elsewhere, it puts more authority into the hands of the Premier League.
“One of the key issues behind the setting up of an independent regulator is the power of the Premier League and to ensure there is balance, and this would make it even more powerful when it comes to determining fixtures.”
