EXCLUSIVELower-league clubs could BOYCOTT the FA Cup in fury after the ¼óÁê League and The FA agreed to ¼Î¤Æ¤ë replays in the hallowed tournament

  • Lower-league clubs could ¥Ü¥¤¥³¥Ã¥È¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë the FA Cup after replays were scrapped
  • They are furious the FA and the ¼óÁê League have not ¶¨µÄ¤¹¤ëd them over it?
  • If Erik ten Hag ¾¡Íø¡¤¾¡¤Äs the FA Cup with Man ÉôÂâd, does he deserve to keep his ¿¦¶È? Listen to the It's All Kicking Off podcast

Furious?lower-league clubs have raised the prospect of ¥Ü¥¤¥³¥Ã¥È¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ëing the FA Cup after the µÄÏÀ¤ÎŪ¤Ë¤Ê¤ë move by the ¼óÁê League and FA to ¼Î¤Æ¤ë replays.

Owners and fans of many Ì£Êý¤¹¤ës outside the ºÇ¹â¤Î¡¤¤ò±Û¤¹ flight have been left Íð˽¡¿Ë½ÎϤò²Ã¤¨¤ëd by the move, which they say will ¹¶·â¤¹¤ë¡¤¾×Æͤ¹¤ë them in the pocket and was made without them ¸ºß ¶¨µÄ¤¹¤ëd.

On a developing day a number of clubs ¡Êµ¡¤Î¡Ë¥«¥à º£¸å to make public À¼ÌÀs decrying the cull while a °ìÏ¢¤Î ¶ÛµÞ¤Î ²ñ¹çs were held by the EFL, who themselves ¡Ê¿ÍÌ¿¤Ê¤É¤ò¡ËÃ¥¤¦¡¤¼çÄ¥¤¹¤ëd that the ÇÑ»ß of replays ¡Æwas agreed ñÆÈ¤Ç between the ¼óÁê League and FA¡Ç.


Mail Sport understands that one of the ÁªÂòs discussed was a ¥Ü¥¤¥³¥Ã¥È¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë of the ¶¥Áè when the changes come into ±Æ¶Á next season.

Such a move is ¤¢¤ê¤½¤¦¤â¤Ê¤¤, ¤Ë¤è¤ì¤Ð sources, but is ¸ºß considered as a '³Ë¤Î ÁªÂò'. One major ´Ø¿´ is that such a ¥Ü¥¤¥³¥Ã¥È¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë could jeopardise ÃÄ·ë »Ùʧ¤¤¡Ê³Û¡Ës from the ¼óÁê League.

Lower-league clubs are considering boycotting the FA Cup over the call to scrap replays

Lower-league clubs are considering ¥Ü¥¤¥³¥Ã¥È¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ëing the FA Cup over the call to ¼Î¤Æ¤ë replays?

Andy Holt, the chairman of Accrington, backed the proposal if other clubs agreed to withdraw

Andy Holt, the chairman of Accrington, »Ù±ç¤¹¤ëd the Äó°Æ if other clubs agreed to ¿È¤ò°ú¤¯

Accrington chairman Andy Holt ÃÏ°Ì¡¤Ç¤Ì¿¤¹¤ëd on X, °ÊÁ°¤Ï Twitter, that he 'would support a ¥Ü¥¤¥³¥Ã¥È¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë if enough clubs feel the same'.

The FA say they made the call on the »Ù±ç¤¹¤ë of an ³ÈÂç to the »Ù»ý¤¹¤ë¡¿Í¥¾¡¼Ôs League which means more fixtures for those in the ¶¥Áè.

EXCLUSIVEHow Mail Sport broke the news on FA Cup replays last month?

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They Äɲ乤ëd that an extra ¡ò33m received from the ¼óÁê League in ¸òή for the axing of replays from the First °ìÏ¢¤Î²ñµÄ¡¢¸ò¾Ä¡¿´°À®¤¹¤ë would go on 'grassroots'.

In an updated À¼ÌÀ ²òÊü¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ëd this morning they ¡Ê¿ÍÌ¿¤Ê¤É¤ò¡ËÃ¥¤¦¡¤¼çÄ¥¤¹¤ëd that the EFL were ¶¨µÄ¤¹¤ëd for '°æ¸Í¡¿ÊÛ¸î»ÎÀÊ over a year' through the Professional Game Board (PGB), which consists of four EFL Âåɽ¼Ô¡¿¹ñ²ñµÄ°÷s, four from the ºÇ¹â¤Î¡¤¤ò±Û¤¹ flight, and the FA board. '½üµî¤¹¤ëing FA Cup replays was discussed in the Áá´ü¤Ë ²ñ¹çs and all parties ¼õÂ÷¤¹¤ëd that hey could not continue,' read the FA À¼ÌÀ.

EFL ¸ø¼°¤Î¡¿Ìò¿Ís have been left furious at suggestions they were ¶¨µÄ¤¹¤ëd on the move. While four EFL execs, ´Þ¤àing µÄĹ¡¤»Ê²ñ¤ò̳¤á¤ë Rick Parry, are on the PGB which ǧ²Ä¤¹¤ëd the new calendar they ·ø¸Ç¤Ë È¿Çý¤¹¤ë any suggestion they were ¶¨µÄ¤¹¤ëd. Instead, insiders say the move was ¸½ºß¤Îd as a 'fait accompli' and have ¸øɽ¤¹¤ë¡¿Ë½Ïª¤¹¤ëd that Parry raised strong È¿ÂÐs at the ²ñ¹ç but was told there was little he could do.

On a day of Åܤ꡿Åܤë, a number of clubs made their feelings ¡Êµ¿¤¤¤ò¡ËÀ²¤é¤¹.

Coventry City ·Ð±Ä¼Ô¡¿»ÙÇÛ¿Í ¼¨¤¹ ¥³¥Þ¥É¥ês, who will lead his team to Wembley for the Cup Ⱦʬ-final against Manchester ÉôÂâd, said it was a 'kick in the teeth' for those outside the ºÇ¹â¤Î¡¤¤ò±Û¤¹ flight, and their Ìò³ä in producing players who go on to Âåɽ¤¹¤ë ºÇ¹â¤Î¡¤¤ò±Û¤¹ teams 'should never be underestimated or forgotten about'.

Erik ten Hag, who will ľÌ̤¹¤ë ¥³¥Þ¥É¥ês in the opposite dugout, placed the ÈóÆñ¤¹¤ë squarely on Uefa and Fifa for their ³ÈÂ礹¤ëing fixture calendar.

'It's very sad for the British football culture,' said Ten Hag. 'But I think it is also ɬÁ³Åª¤Ê. No one can do anything for it, it's ͽÄê to the overload in the schedule, and that's dictated by Fifa and Uefa. There is so much overload on the players, and it has to stop.'?

EFL clubs Cambridge ÉôÂâd, Wigan ±¿Æ°¶¥µ»¤Î, Newport ·´, Leyton Orient, Port Vale were ¤ÎÃæ¤Ç those to ²òÊü¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë À¼ÌÀs ɽ¸½ their ¼ºË¾¡¿ÍßµáÉÔËþ.

Coventry manager Mark Robins said it was a ¡Ækick in the teeth¡Ç for those outside the top flight

Coventry ·Ð±Ä¼Ô¡¿»ÙÇÛ¿Í ¼¨¤¹ ¥³¥Þ¥É¥ês said it was a ¡ Ækick in the teeth¡Ç for those outside the ºÇ¹â¤Î¡¤¤ò±Û¤¹ flight

Leyton Orient chief executive Mark Devlin was also among those calling out the decision

Leyton Orient Ĺ¡¤»ØƳ¼Ô (n)Ìò°÷¡¿(a)¼¹¹ÔÎϤΤ¢¤ë ¼¨¤¹ Devlin was also ¤ÎÃæ¤Ç those calling out the ·èÄ꡿ȽÄ꾡¤Á¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë

'This appears to have been a ¼è°ú¡¤¶¨Äê done behind ¤Î¶á¤¯¤Ëd doors without any meaningful ¶¨µÄ with clubs outside the ¼óÁê League and against the democratic spirit of the FA Cup itself,' read Cambridge's À¼ÌÀ.

Orient Ĺ¡¤»ØƳ¼Ô (n)Ìò°÷¡¿(a)¼¹¹ÔÎϤΤ¢¤ë ¼¨¤¹ Devlin Äɲ乤ëd: 'My personal belief is that this ·èÄ꡿ȽÄ꾡¤Á¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë has been made to Í»Ä̤¹¤ë an ³ÈÂ礹¤ëd »Ù»ý¤¹¤ë¡¿Í¥¾¡¼Ôs League fixture ̾Êí¡Ê¤ËºÜ¤»¤ë¡Ë¡¿É½¡Ê¤Ë¤¢¤²¤ë¡Ë, which now looks very much like a European ºÇ¹â¤Î League but in different Ã夻¤ë¡¿ÉêÍ¿¤¹¤ëing.'?

Wigan, who won the Cup in 2013 three days before ¸ºß relegated from the ¼óÁê League, said they were 'ϵÇâd' by the ·èÄ꡿ȽÄ꾡¤Á¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë, and that it 'showed a total ̵»ë¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë for those outside the ºÇ¹â¤Î¡¤¤ò±Û¤¹ flight'.

Each club called on the FA to review its ·èÄ꡿ȽÄ꾡¤Á¡Ê¤¹¤ë¡Ë and ¶¨µÄ¤¹¤ë ¤½¤Î¾å¤Î with lower-league clubs.