THE FA have received a Community Note on X following a post about their controversial changes to the FA Cup.
A series of revisions to the famous old competition were confirmed yesterday, much to the fury of many fans.
ReutersMajor changes to the FA Cup are coming from next season[/caption]
The changes will see replays scrapped and the final brought forward to before the end of the Premier League season.
Announcing the news, the FA Cup‘s official X account wrote: “The FA and The @premierleague have reached an agreement to strengthen the #EmiratesFACup format and increase support for grassroots football.”
Community Notes are designed to help stop the spread of false information.
They come from X users who sign up to write and rate notes.
The note under the FA Cup’s post reads: “To suggest that the revised format ‘strengthens the format’ of the FA Cup is fundamentally untrue.
“The decision to remove FA Cup replays deprives lower league clubs of crucial revenue and has been taken without consulting EFL or non-league clubs. The £33m is inadequate.”
Plenty of fans shared their fury by replying to the post.
One wrote: “Disgraceful decision and you know it.”
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While a second blasted: “You are a disgrace to the sport.”
A third fumed: “Disgraceful to drop replays so early in the competition.”
And another added: “Where’s the representatives of the EFL or Non-League clubs? There’s not 20 clubs in England.”
The changes will be brought in from next season and are set to remain in place for at least six years.
Further alterations include moving the fifth round back to a weekend slot.
While the Premier League’s January winter break has been scrapped.
Changes to prize money – which could involve compensation to lower division clubs for the loss of replay income – have yet to be agreed.
But Prem chiefs have allocated a further £133m per season from 2025-26 for the pyramid.
Why FA Cup changes are GOOD NEWS
By Martin Lipton
THE FA and Premier League should have done the deal to scrap FA Cup replays years ago.
No doubt traditionalists will moan but it is right that the competition has finally been brought into the 21st century.
Ending replays will bring extra sharpness and excitement to the ties, with the knowledge that there will be a winner, whether in 90 minutes, extra-time or penalties.
If big guns have a bad day, they are more likely to pay the price. Replays after draws give them a fall-back they do not deserve.
Giving the FA Cup total and absolute priority over four weekends – and ensuring there is no competing match on the day of the Final – will enhance the profile of a competition that was in danger of falling out of the spotlight.
And as long as the FA ensures a better split of the prize money fund, weighting it more towards the earlier rounds, and potentially a similar move with TV match money, there should be few losers.
Read more on the FA Cup by clicking here.