Chris Wilder leads furious backlash to FA Cup replays being scrapped as fans urged to protest at ‘ridiculous’ decision
CHRIS WILDER led a furious backlash after FA Cup replays were scrapped.
Yesterday’s deal between the FA and Premier League will end 151 YEARS of tradition in the world’s oldest cup competition, starting next season.
But it sparked an EFL demand for compensation, while League Two Tranmere branded it a “disgrace” — and called for fans’ protests and the introduction of an independent football regulator.
Sheffield United boss Wilder claimed it was the latest example of the top-flight’s leading clubs overwhelming all opposition.
Wilder, who has also bossed Halifax, Oxford and Northampton, said: “The game is dominated and dictated by the big boys — and they don’t want FA Cup replays.
“What does that do to non-league clubs who get into the fairytale rounds and the financial implications?
“I’ve been at both ends of the scale. The replay is a great reward. I’d have liked them kept.”
Wilder’s criticism was echoed by EFL bigwigs and club chiefs.
Tranmere’s vice-chair Nicola Palios — the wife of club chairman and former FA chief executive Mark — claimed the Prem and their boss Richard Masters wanted to “strangle” football’s pyramid.
That came despite top-flight chiefs agreeing to pay a total of £133m per season to the lower tiers.
But angry Palios wrote on X: “The FA and the Premier League have reached an agreement to suit themselves at the expense of the rest of the football pyramid.
“Why were EFL clubs not given a say? Why is the Premier League even dictating whether replays are allowed in rounds they don’t participate in? Protest is needed!
“Bring on the regulator and make sure it has some teeth before the Premier League strangle the pyramid.”
Fuming Accrington chairman Andy Holt also posted his views on social media.
He said: “Why would the hapless FA scrap early round replays that can be lucrative to minnows? Against EFL clubs? I expect nothing less of Richard Masters and Co.”
The changes to the FA Cup come in the wake of an expanded Uefa Champions League and Fifa Club World Cup — which both kick in from next season — plus the axing of the Prem’s mid-winter break.
The EFL were involved in discussions over the domestic calendar, including the potential end of two-legged Carabao Cup semis.
But they pulled out of the talks over the failure of the Prem to agree a new funding deal for the lower divisions.
EFL chief executive Trevor Birch said the decision was “frustrating and disappointing” and added: “Our domestic calendar has been put under extreme pressure by the expansion of Uefa competitions.
“This represents another lost traditional revenue stream for EFL clubs at a time when the financial gap between the biggest clubs and those further down the pyramid is growing bigger than ever.
“We will now be and seeking appropriate compensation arrangements.”
And Millwall boss Neil Harris stormed: “It is absolutely ridiculous. European football is a joke. It’s all about money!”
Under the new agreement, all Cup rounds will return to weekend dates with the final played on the penultimate Saturday of the campaign and not as the season finale.
Changes to prize money — which could involve compensation to lower-league clubs for the loss of replay income — have yet to be agreed.
The 2024-25 Prem season kicks off a week after the Community Shield, which takes place at Wembley on Saturday, August 10.
Niall Couper, chief of the Fair Game football reform group, described the changes as “another nail in the coffin for the already crumbling football pyramid”.
But FA chief Mark Bullingham insisted: “The Emirates FA Cup is our biggest asset.
“This agreement ensures the magic of the Cup is protected and enhanced, whilst working for the whole of the English game.”
And his Prem counterpart Masters added: “The FA and the Premier League have worked to deliver more exclusive weekends without compromising the excitement of knockout football.”