FA issues fresh statement after move to scrap FA Cup replays as controversial decision explained

The Football Association has issued a fresh statement following the backlash over the controversial Premier League agreement and the scrapping of FA Cup replays, assuring that concerned clubs will not be disadvantaged.

On Friday, the FA acknowledged the worries of EFL clubs, stating it "understands the concerns" and is set to reveal plans for generating new revenue after announcing significant changes to the competition.

The move to eliminate replays from the first round onwards was disclosed by the FA on Thursday, sparking widespread disapproval from the EFL and its member clubs due to an apparent lack of prior discussion. In response, the FA has attempted to address some of the issues raised by the clubs.

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"We have listened to the concerns expressed over the last 24 hours, and would like to outline the approval process which was undertaken for the 2024-25 professional game football calendar," the FA's statement began. "We have been discussing the calendar for the 2024-25 season with the Premier League and EFL for well over a year.

"Removing Emirates FA Cup replays was discussed in the early meetings and all parties accepted that they could not continue. The discussions then focused on how to make all of our competitions stronger, despite having fewer dates available and wanting to maintain player welfare.

"The changes to the Emirates FA Cup achieve this by returning it to a weekend competition on every round, and ensuring that we have exclusive broadcast slots in an increasingly congested calendar," reports football.london.

"To clarify,