Skip to main content

Should FA Cup replays be cut back even more?

The question of scrapping FA Cup replays (they already in the fifth round) is a highly emotive topic. I do not agree with Jurgen Klopp's decision to absent himself from Liverpool's replay with Shrewsbury Town. I can understand the arguments about the winter break, and it is arguable that the timing of it is wrong. However, Klopp's decision looks rather arrogant and patronising.

There is a lot of talk about the 'magic of the FA Cup', but attendances, particularly in the earlier rounds, suggest that that magic is lost on many fans. Cup competitions are very much secondary ones on the continent which is why the Cup Winners' Cup was scrapped. They are not a real measure of ability as too much rests on chance, although, of course, that is the very element that appeals to fans as do 'giant killings'. However, they are not really 'giant killings' when leading clubs put out reserve teams.

FA Cup success can, of course, have a major impact on the finances of lower league or non-league clubs. In 2006 Burton Albion were a part-time Conference club with a new stadium to fund. Then they drew Manchester United in the FA Cup.

Burton chairman Ben Robinson explained to The Football League Paper that they got a 0-0 draw at home. This was shown live on television which earned them £150,000. The replay at Old Trafford was also shown live, earning them another £150,000. They got 50 per cent of the 53,000 crowd. With sponsorship deals and hospitality, the total was close to £1m. Bank borrowings were wiped out and it provided the platform for promotion to the EFL in 2009.

However, perhaps we are looking at the problem the wrong way round. Whether a club gets a lucrative match is, literally, the luck of the draw. Arguably what is really needed is a more generous and stable transfer of funds to lower league clubs: Time to scrap replays

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fulham requires big funding from owner

After lengthy delays, Fulham’s shiny, new Riverside Stand has finally opened, creating “a unique Thameside destination with first class facilities for supporters and partners on match days, as well as for the wider community year-round”. This ambitious project has increased Craven Cottage’s capacity by around 4,000 to 29,600, while it has also taken advantage of the club’s fantastic location and wealthy catchment area by including two Michelin star restaurants, a rooftop swimming pool, corporate hospitality and event space, all benefiting from views of the Thames. Chief executive Alistair Mackintosh observed, “Fulham is the sort of club that can have a business class or first class and have fans that turn left on a plane.” Indeed, there is also an exclusive members club – with a football season ticket as an optional extra. It’s fair to say that “the times they are a-changing”, as this is a long way from the traditional pie and a pint. However, in a world where clubs face the tw...
Post a Comment
Read more

It's no deal say Spurs insiders over Taiwanese takeover

Senior figures at Tottenham Hotspur insisted on Friday that they had not been informed of any deal to sell Daniel Levy’s stake in the club. A business group, Eight Sports Capital — which is said to include a billionaire Taiwanese financier — claimed that it had an agreement in place to buy a 24.99 per cent stake in ENIC, the club’s majority owners, from Levy, who owns 29.88 per cent. The Times has been told Ng Wing Fai and Brooklyn Earick form part of the group, having both been linked previously to potential takeovers of the Premier League club. The Taiwanese businessman, Richard Tsai, is also said to be part of the consortium. He is reportedly worth £7 billion.  Last year Earick, the former DJ and tech entrepreneur, was part of an attempted £4.5 billion takeover, which was “unequivocally rejected” by Spurs.  An ENIC spokesperson said: “We can confirm that neither ENIC nor THFC are aware of any sale by Daniel Levy’s Family Trust of its minority stake in ENIC, THFC’...
Post a Comment
Read more

Threat of financial calamity removed from Baggies

West Bromwich Albion had effectively been in decline ever since the club was sold to a Chinese consortium in August 2016, paying a figure north of £200m to buy former owner Jeremy Peace’s stake. Controlling shareholder Guochuan Lai’s ownership was fairly disastrous for the club, but his unloved tenure finally came to an end after Bilkul Football WBA, a company ultimately owned by Florida-based entrepreneur Shilen Patel and his father Dr Kiran Patel, acquired an 87.8% shareholding in West Bromwich Albion Group Limited, the parent company of West Bromwich Albion Football Club. This change in ownership was urgently required, due to the numerous financial problems facing West Brom, including growing high-interest debt and serious cash flow concerns, following years of no investment from the former owner. Indeed, West Brom’s auditors had already rung the alarm bell in the 2021/22 accounts when they cast doubt on the club’s ability to continue as a going concern without making player s...
1 comment
Read more