EFL told to ‘show some minerals’ after FA Cup replays scrapped

Peterborough chairman Darragh MacAnthony has called on the EFL to “show some minerals” after FA Cup replays were controversially scrapped.

On a controversial day in football, it was announced that FA Cup replays of the first round proper have been scrapped completely from next season.

There has been a huge reaction from supporters of lower league clubs, who often rely on the bigger teams to help them financially.

And Posh chairman MacAnthony, who often appears on talkSPORT as a pundit, criticized the decision and called on the English Football League (EFL) to defend its clubs.

He wrote on social media site

“I have no idea what the @premierleague or the @fa are thinking in making this decision the way it played out today.

“If this is a sign of things to come, expect a complete fallout in English football soon, all caused by one faction of our game.

“@EFL it’s time to show some elements in how we react to these events today, in my opinion (in my opinion).

“Ignoring us at the bottom of the pyramid is not a sensible path forward.

“It’s time to get together in a room/around a table and make proper progress on everything, because this is not healthy for our industry.”

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Former Sky Sports commentator and football oracle Martin Tyler spoke about the decision on the Hawksbee & Jacobs Show on talkSPORT, speaking out against the changing nature of the FA.

He said: “The third round would have made a bit more sense and now the winter break, so championed by Premier League clubs in January, has also been a casualty.

“So priorities seem to change from time to time.

“I just think if you destroy the bottom of the pyramid, you’re going to have no structure at all sooner rather than later.

“That seems to me to be what’s happening here. Of course I’m a traditionalist. I played in the FA Cup qualifying rounds, I loved it. You had to sign a special form to be able to play .

“There are challenges in raising funds for the bottom of the pyramid, of course it is the responsibility of the club itself, they cannot rely on handouts.

“But it was a way to increase interest in a club.”

This year’s FA Cup saw no replays from the fifth round onwards, but this has now changed as the competitions progress.

This follows the expansion of UEFA and FIFA competitions, including the newly formatted Champions League next season, which will include additional matches.

There is also the expanded Club World Cup, which will include 32 teams in 2025, up from seven clubs which took place in Saudi Arabia in December 2023.

However, clubs in England’s lower leagues have often benefited massively from FA Cup replays, which bring them advertising, prize money and sometimes live television coverage, as well as greater gate receipts.

The Premier League has promised to give £33 million to grassroots football to make up for losses suffered, while all FA Cup matches will still take place on weekends, as opposed to midweek matches.