sport news English football's 'out of the blue' tear-up of the calendar infuriates fans ... trends now
English football's decision to scrap FA Cup replays as part of a huge shake-up of the calendar came 'out of the blue', according to one owner of a lower league club.
A new agreement between The FA and the Premier League, which will last for at least six years, sees the end of the season's winter break, and the return of all FA Cup rounds to weekends, as opposed to the midweek games in round five.
However, there will no longer be FA Cup replays from the first round proper onwards - ending a tradition that has gone back decades, with the 92 league clubs now avoiding additional games at the end of draws.
Andy Holt, the chairman of League Two Accrington Stanley, wrote on X (formerly Twitter): 'Why would the hapless @FA scrap early round replays that can be lucrative to minnows? A chance to change their financial fortunes? Against @EFL clubs?
'I expect nothing less of Masters and Co @premierleague buying the game into a format that suits their needs. As usual.'
The Premier League and The FA have agreed to scrap Cup replays from the First Round Proper
Andy Holt, the chairman of League Two Accrington Stanley, said the news was 'out of the blue'
Holt posted to X (formerly Twitter) on his surprise and anger at Thursday's unexpected news
When asked if Football League clubs had been consulted about the changes, Holt replied: 'This bit of the EFL definitely wasn’t. When deals are done under a cloak of secrecy they are generally wrong.'
He added: 'The @EFL are 72 clubs, nothing else. Nobody at our club including someone actively involved with the @FA knew anything about this.
'We should be actively supporting minnows
