Plymouth Argyle join backlash against scrapping of FA Cup replays

Plymouth Argyle have called the scrapping of FA Cup replays from next season as 'misguided' and 'without the consultation and care that surely should be an enshrined prerequisite'.

The FA Cup will no longer have replays from the first round proper onwards as part of a new agreement between The Football Association and the Premier League. That has led to an angry response from clubs, not only in the EFL but at non-League level too, given that replays are often sources of invaluable financial revenue, as well as creating magical FA Cup moments.

A club statement was issued by Argyle this afternoon following updates from the FA and the EFL earlier today which outlined their respective positions over the issue, which has proved to be hugely controversial.

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Argyle said: "Having taken in Thursday’s news at the removal of replays from the Emirates FA Cup, and noted Friday’s update from the FA, followed by a formal response from the EFL, we feel now is a good time to inform everyone of our stance on the issue.

"Our overriding emotions are of disappointment, and this is essentially twofold. Firstly, we are saddened at the proposed abolition of replays, which are long established within our oldest, most treasured competition.

"Secondly, it is very disappointing that such a decision has been taken with very little consultation with clubs at various levels. Had such consultation taken place, we feel very confident that the FA would have met with huge resistance, aside from a small number of elite clubs that benefit from this modification.

"Friday’s FA statement indicates that consultations have taken place, but Plymouth Argyle have not been part of any consultations and neither, according to their recent statement, have the EFL at large.

"As custodians of the game of football in England, the FA have a duty to represent not just the Premier League and the EFL, but teams throughout the footballing pyramid. One of the beauties of the FA Cup is that teams at various levels can come into contact, and replays enhance the joy of these meetings.

"On one hand, there is the financial implication; how a smaller club can earn a second encounter with a giant of English football, and get compensated accordingly. In addition, there is that intangible of the romantic side of our game, the enjoyment we all, as supporters, can get by having an experience at a major stadium, or bringing a team back to your own ground.

"We have our own examples in recent years. Not only did we benefit financially from two televised games against Liverpool in 2017, but we had a unique experience for supporters, bringing Liverpool to Home Park for the second tie. Finances that we, as a club, accrued from the Liverpool match and replay were specifically invested into projects that went towards our future sustainability.

"More recently, we drew 1-1 with reigning European champions Chelsea after 90 minutes in 2022. It was a tremendous experience, and a very memorable game, but it would have been enhanced even further by bringing Chelsea back to Home Park.

"On that occasion, it was understandable to have no replays, as football sought to catch up from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, but it is a tangible example of the disappointment others may face in coming seasons if replays are no longer a feature of the world-admired and envied FA Cup.

"It is clear from a series of responses from teams in the EFL, National League and below that the proposals are overwhelmingly being rejected from football as a whole. Our experiences of listening to our fanbase also indicate a widespread condemnation of the removal of replays.

"We stand with supporters and our fellow football clubs on this issue, which we not only feel is misguided, but has been taken without the consultation and care that surely should be an enshrined prerequisite."

The EFL today described the agreement between The FA and the Premier League as a further example of how they and their clubs were 'being marginalised in favour of others further up the pyramid'.

In a statement, the EFL said: "The EFL wishes to clarify further its position in respect of yesterday’s Premier League and Football Association bi-lateral announcement over the removal of FA Cup replays and the role of the League’s representatives on the Professional Game Board (PGB).

"The agreement which now sees the abolition of replays from the competition format was agreed solely between the Premier League and FA. Ahead of the deal being announced there was no agreement with the EFL nor was there any formal consultation with EFL clubs as members of the FA and participants in the competition.

"In September 2023, the EFL did initially discuss with clubs potential changes to the FA Cup format but only as part of a wider and more fundamental change to financial distributions. As is now clear, there has been no movement in this area since September.

"This latest agreement between the Premier League and FA, in the absence of financial reform, is just a further example of how the EFL and its clubs are being marginalised in favour of others further up the pyramid and that only serves to threaten the future of the English game.

"The EFL today calls on both the Premier League and the FA, as the governing body, to re-evaluate their approach to their footballing partnership with the EFL and engage more collaboratively on issues directly affecting our clubs.

"A separate issue is the role of the EFL representatives on the Professional Game Board (PGB) in agreeing to the 2024/25 overall fixture calendar. PGB is there to make technical decisions across the game as opposed to key policy decisions such as competition changes or formats.

"Any decisions taken on the calendar involving EFL representatives are in no way an endorsement of the joint deal agreed between the FA and Premier League that imposes changes to the FA Cup competition format in isolation.

As part of the discussions the EFL representatives did challenge the position and were told that clubs would be comfortable with no replays. They were effectively advised that as a result of it being an FA competition the fixture list needed to be agreed as presented.

"It is also important to note that this matter was not discussed by the FA Cup committee, a separate group that oversees the competition across the professional and national game."

The FA said this morning they would be sharing more details with clubs very shortly 'to explain the additional revenue opportunities in the early rounds' of the competition under the new agreement.

Their statement said: "We have listened to the concerns expressed over the last 24 hours, and would like to outline the approval process which was undertaken for the 2024-25 professional game football calendar. We have been discussing the calendar for the 2024-25 season with the Premier League and EFL for well over a year.

"Removing Emirates FA Cup replays was discussed in the early meetings and all parties accepted that they could not continue. The discussions then focused on how to make all of our competitions stronger, despite having fewer dates available and wanting to maintain player welfare.

"The changes to the Emirates FA Cup achieve this by returning it to a weekend competition on every round, and ensuring that we have exclusive broadcast slots in an increasingly congested calendar.

"To clarify, we have also increased the number of Emirates FA Cup matches that will be broadcast in the early rounds, which will lead to additional guaranteed broadcast revenue for EFL and National League teams.

"Additionally, we review the prize money annually for the competition, together with representatives from the EFL and Premier League and will do the same for the 2024/25 season.

"The calendar for next season was approved last month by the Professional Game Board, which consists of four EFL representatives and four Premier League representatives and then by the FA Board, which includes Premier League, EFL, National Game and grassroots representation. This is the process we undergo every year to approve the calendar.

"We understand the concerns expressed over the last 24 hours, and we will be sharing more details with clubs very shortly to explain the additional revenue opportunities in the early rounds. We will keep this under review as the new calendar begins to ensure that EFL and National League clubs do not lose out."

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