FA Cup faces radical shake up

Replays and the weekend of the final are all set to be changed

As per the Daily Mail, a deal which would see the Premier League sell overseas TV rights for the FA Cup for 10 years from the 2024/2025 season, enabling all top-flight clubs to have a say in the domestic calendar.

Mark Bullingham, the Football Association's chief executive is reportedly willing to agree with the new changes, which include:

• The abolition of FA Cup replays.
• The prospect of early rounds of the competition being played midweek.
• The end of a stand-alone weekend for the FA Cup final at the end of the season, with the showpiece occasion being brought forward to clash with a regular weekend of Premier League fixtures every year. 
• A 10-year deal to sell foreign TV rights for all overseas markets, and the possibility of subsequently selling the domestic rights, which are currently held by BBC and ITV.
• An increased offer payment from the Premier League to the FA to fund grassroots football. 

If these changes are to be made, it would be the biggest shake up the tournament has had in it's 152 year history but it is likely to cause controversy with clubs in the Football League who rely on replays for revenue and are concerned they may lose control over the fixture list.

Related links:

• PFA hit out at number of fixtures being played
• Champions League final referee caught practising giving a yellow card before kick off
• The man responsible for organising the Premier League fixture list explains how it work