EFL responds as fury grows over FA Cup issue involving Derby County

The Football League has responded to the decision to remove FA Cup replays, claiming that they were not consulted on the controversial decision.

Derby County and other clubs will be affected by the Football Association and Premier League’s decision to eliminate replays starting next season.In exchange, almost £33 million will be invested in grassroots initiatives, but EFL teams and fans have expressed strong opposition.

There had been speculation that the EFL was aware that cup replays would be eliminated, but in a statement issued today, the league stated that they had no prior knowledge of the news, which has been denounced by teams and their executives.

The statement stated, “The EFL wishes to explain further its position in respect of yesterday’s Premier League and Football Association bilateral announcement regarding the abolition of FA Cup replays and the role of the League’s representatives on the Professional Game Board (PGB).

“The agreement that now eliminates replays from the competition format was reached solely between the Premier League and the FA. Prior to the deal’s announcement, there was no agreement with the EFL, nor was there any formal engagement with EFL clubs as FA members and competition participants.

“In September 2023, the EFL initially discussed prospective changes to the FA Cup format with clubs, but only as part of a larger and more fundamental adjustment in financial distribution. It is clearly evident that there has been no movement in this area since September.

“This new deal between the Premier League and the FA, in the absence of financial reform, is simply another example of how the EFL and its clubs are being sidelined in favour of those higher up the pyramid, endangering the survival of the English game.

“The EFL today calls on both the Premier League and the FA, as the governing body, to reconsider their approach to their footballing partnership with the EFL and work more constructively on problems that directly affect our clubs. A second issue is the involvement of EFL representatives on the Professional Game Board (PGB) in reaching an agreement on the overall fixture calendar for 2024/25. PGB is responsible for making technical decisions across the game, rather than important policy decisions such as competition adjustments or formats.

“Any calendar decisions made by EFL officials in no way condone the FA and Premier League’s joint agreement, which imposes modifications to the FA Cup competition format in isolation.

“As part of the discussions, EFL representatives challenged the position and were told that clubs would be fine with no replays.” They were essentially instructed that, because it was an FA competition, the fixture list must be accepted upon as presented. It is also worth noting that the FA Cup committee, which controls the competition at both the professional and national levels, did not discuss this subject.

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