EFL accuses FA and Premier League of 'marginalising' clubs after FA Cup replay decision

In a significant move, the elimination of FA Cup replays has been pinpointed as another instance of EFL being 'marginalised', according to the league themselves. The Football Association broke the news on Thursday that they had achieved an agreement with the Premier League on the new format and funding for the competition, which would neglect all replays from the first round onwards.

Numerous EFL clubs have voiced their criticism of the changes and firmly stated that they were not consulted in the decision-making process. The FA responded in a statement saying it recognised these concerns, providing assurance that they'd disclose information on how any loss in replay revenue might be compensated.

However, the EFL argued that this situation is merely the most recent example of the league and its clubs being pushed aside, with Premier League clubs also deciding to put a stop to discussions over a new financial agreement with the EFL.

On Friday afternoon, the EFL made a statement: «This latest agreement between the Premier League and the FA, in the absence of financial reform, is just a further example of how the EFL and its clubs are being marginalised in favour of others further up the pyramid and that only serves to threaten the future of the English game,».

«The EFL today calls on both the Premier League and the FA, as the governing body, to re-evaluate their approach to their footballing partnership with the EFL and engage more collaboratively on issues directly affecting our clubs.»

On Friday, the FA defended their decision to overhaul the FA Cup regulations which will see the replays scrapped after the First Round Proper. In a statement, they said: «We have listened to the concerns expressed over the last 24 hours, and