The magic of the FA Cup is a phrase repeated over and over throughout the years.
Sadly, it seems that magic has a price, and that price this morning is around £1.5m per Premier League club. £30 million is the fee the FA have accepted to sell the prestige of the competition, abolishing replays from the First Round at the behest of Premier League clubs. Of course, they don’t even enter in the First Round, which makes it all the more baffling. They’ve tried to package it by saying we get Fifth Round ties on a Saturday again after stripping us of that ‘luxury’ in the last couple of seasons.
I have strong opinions on this, but my voice will only add to the cacophony of anger building across the country. It won’t make any difference at all. The FA and PL will try to spin it, saying they’re protecting the competition, but they’re not. They’re devaluing it. One of the most attractive aspects of the early rounds is the chance for a little club to bag a replay, take a bigger side back to their ground, or get a day out somewhere to remember forever. That’s gone, no more, and personally, I think it is a disgrace.
Maybe I am just getting too old, but so many of the reasons I fell in love with English football are being destroyed by the FA and EPL. It's now only about the money and the power of those at the top of the pyramid. https://t.co/O5T1W7Yvf1
— Clive Nates (@cliven7) April 18, 2024
The big clubs have abused the FA Cup for years. Manchester United dropped out to play a pointless competition halfway across the world, and many big clubs stick youth teams out when it suits them. Personally, I’d hoped Arsenal did that in our quarter-final a few seasons ago, but unlike Burnley, they were wise to the threat. It was reserves that beat Sutton at Gander Green Lane in the previous round, though, robbing the minnows of seeing huge stars on their pitch (to be fair, Arsenal’s reserves are still big stars).
To highlight how important FA Cup replays can be, I have selected seven involving the Imps that firmly encapsulate the magic of the FA Cup. Be warned – it’s not all sweetness and light. In fact, if anything, we’ve been the victims of the so-called magic over the years, and yet I still wouldn’t change it for the world.
Enjoy. Or not…..