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The EFL Cup is underway, but English Premier League coaches seem to be only mildly bothered. The 58th season of the domestic cup is open to all the English and Welsh clubs participating in the Premier League and the English Football League. Any club within top four levels of the English Football league systems can take part in the EFL Cup
Winning a competition with such wide participation should be a matter of priority and pride for top-flight clubs, but most Premier League clubs continue to take matters lightly.
Here are 5 reasons why EFL cup is not taken seriously.
5. Low prize money
League Cup winners receive £100,000 prize money and the runners-up get a sum of £50,000, which is a measly amount when stacked up against the £2 million prize money of the FA Cup, which again falls short when compared to Premier League's television money (awarded on final league position) and sponsorship deals and the earning potential from UEFA Champions League participation.
Running a football club requires deep pockets as can be seen from the exorbitant transfer fees that clubs are paying these days to buy even defenders in the transfer market.
4. Quality of the game
There is no doubt that the tournament increases the quantity of football being played in England and Wales, but there are serious doubts about the quality of football that is on display. Here teams from lower divisions participate in the hope of staging an upset and advancing in the tournament.
For the lower division clubs, hosting or visiting a big club might be a big deal, but teams from higher division might find the quality of football too uninspiring to put their best foot forward.
3. Big teams are pre-occupied with top-flight competitions
Bigger clubs are pre-occupied with other competitions such as the UEFA Champions League and may not necessarily have the squad depth to meet the rigours of another competition. The managers wouldn't want to injure their important players and risk the chance of them missing out on Europe's big nights.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino summed it up like this: “…Tottenham must build a project with the possibility to fight for Champions League or Premier League. Sorry, first of all, the Premier League and then the Champions League. If we are going to try to win Carabao Cup (EFL Cup) or FA Cup, and forget the Premier League or Champions (League), it's a big mistake. I think, what it means for a big team to win trophies, is to win the Premier League or Champions League.”
2. Empty seats
Fans seem to be staying away from the matches which doesn't augur well for the gate revenues or matchday income of the participating clubs. Here is a quick data point; the average seating capacity used in 2016-17 season was down to 42.6% from 43.7% in the previous season.
Lower footfalls for the matches also has a domino effect on other sources of income. For example, advertisers will not prioritise in-stadium advertisement during EFL Cup due to lesser eyeballs. The less number of attendance will also translate into lower revenues from food and drink sales.
1.Will you even be remembered?
Finally, winning trophies should be a way to make sure that the club gets a wider fan following across the world and its achievements are etched deeply in the annals of footballing history.
But winning EFL Cup is not going to guarantee you more fans or a legendary status. Take the case of Wigan Athletic who lifted the 2012-13 FA Cup which is considered more prestigious, but today they are languishing in League One and not much can be said of their fan base outside the Wigan town.
As already mentioned, running a football club is an expensive affair and no corporate worth his salt is going to offer a juicy deal to a club for merely winning the EFL Cup. Such triumphs are quickly forgotten and neither fans nor large corporates chase such clubs.
