The Football Association has come under fire for changes to the FA Cup, prompting a response from the FA chief executive, Mark Bullingham. The changes, which include the removal of replays in all rounds, sparked criticism particularly from lower league clubs that historically benefit from the additional revenue generated by these replays. Amid widespread concerns, the FA has publicly addressed the issue, emphasizing that the changes were part of a lengthy discussion and approval process involving the Premier League and EFL. They highlighted that the changes aim to strengthen the competition and provide exclusive broadcast slots, potentially generating additional guaranteed broadcast revenue for EFL and National League teams.
The FA assures that they will share more details with clubs to explain the additional revenue opportunities in the early rounds and will continue to review the situation to ensure that EFL and National League clubs do not lose out. The announcement comes ahead of the FA Cup semi-finals, which will see Chelsea face Manchester City on Saturday and Championship side Coventry City take on Manchester United on Sunday at Wembley Stadium.