FSA National Council call for FA Cup replays to be reinstated
From the official FSA.Org website:
The FSA’s National Council – our council of elected fan representatives from all levels of the game – have called on the FA to reinstate FA Cup replays following an emergency meeting last week.
The Council convened an emergency meeting last week following the announcement by the FA of substantial changes to the FA Cup, including the abolition of replays from all rounds of the famous competition.
That decision to scrap FA Cup replays has been met with anger by many EFL and non-league clubs, football figures and supporters at all levels of the game.
The FSA National Council reiterated that, as an organisation, we will continue to seek to protect the integrity, heritage and attractiveness of the FA Cup for supporters, participants and the game as a whole, “using all avenues and processes open to it to pursue that objective.”
Additionally, the FSA National Council asks the authorities to look specifically at FA Cup rounds one and two to consider reinstatement replays in these fixtures where, clearly, the congestion caused by the European calendar is not a consideration.
FSA chair Malcolm Clarke said: “Supporters have valid concerns that the changes to the FA Cup will further diminish the history and tradition of the world’s oldest domestic cup competition – and that heritage is what makes the FA Cup so popular at all levels of the game.
“We call on the FA to reinstate replays in all rounds but there should be a particular focus on rounds one and two as there is no real opposition to replays at that stage and scrapping them made little sense to supporters or clubs.
“While Premier League teams competing in Europe might like to do away with replays, clubs in the EFL and non-league have made clear their support for replays in the early rounds. We call on the FA to reinstate first and second round replays immediately and we will be using every avenue available to us – including our positions on the FA Council – to push for that.”
Meanwhile, the FSA continues to represent our members and maintain engagement with the FA on the issues. Currently, there are two supporter representatives on the FA Council, the main policy forum within the FA’s structure.
Alongside that the FSA meets with FA executives twice a season as part of both parties’ commitment to supporter engagement. More on that here.
‘Chelsea Supporters Group’ can also be found on X and Facebook
