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#3 Scrap FA Cup replays between Premier League and EFL Championship clubs
One point of contention in recent seasons has been the tradition of having replays for drawn FA Cup ties, with many pundits and managers – particularly those in charge of the bigger Premier League clubs who are also involved in European competition – suggesting that these replays simply add unneeded games to an already congested fixture schedule.
Scrapping FA Cup replays altogether has been suggested on numerous occasions, but it’s an idea that usually gets shot down for a pretty logical reason. Basically, as the FA Cup is entered by almost every team in England – right down to semi-professional sides who can play multiple preliminary rounds before entering the first round proper – it can prove to be an essential financial boost for smaller clubs.
How does this happen? If a club from outside the football league manages to make it to the third round and draws a Premier League side, the money they can make from a potential television rights fee as well as 45% of the gate revenue from the match can be a massive game-changer. And of course, if a smaller club can hold a Premier League giant to a draw at home – gaining a replay at a much bigger stadium – then that chunk of money only grows.
Nobody would want to see smaller clubs lose the potential to make that kind of money, so to find a solution, what if a rule was put into place that if both sides agreed, replays for ties between Premier League sides or EFL Championship sides could be scrapped, with the tie being decided in a single match?
Giving the teams the option to either keep or scrap a replay would ensure the playing field would stay level, and it could allow for less fixture congestion for the Premier League and EFL Championship’s clubs. Sure, clubs who draw a lower-level side may still have to face a replay – but that’d be down to the luck of the draw.
