Gary Lineker's radical FA Cup replay solution that would impact Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham

Match of the Day host Gary Lineker has put forward two radical FA Cup replay solutions that would affect Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur as he calls on the FA to consider the financial implications for lower league clubs.

The FA's announcement on Thursday to eliminate FA Cup replays from the first round onwards, in a move coordinated with the Premier League to alleviate fixture congestion amid the expansion of UEFA competitions next season, has drawn criticism from EFL and non-league clubs concerned about losing a crucial source of income. The FA has since released a statement which claims that lower league clubs will not miss out on funds.

On The Rest is Football podcast, Lineker acknowledged the importance of replays for smaller clubs but also expressed his preference for their removal, citing the need to reduce the number of games players face. He said: «I am not a fan of replays.

»I understand their significance, particularly to the smaller clubs, the lower league clubs, I totally get that and the possible finance of a replay that they may get. I know it doesn't happen very often but it is the case."

He added his concerns about player welfare and the increasing demands of the football calendar: «I do worry about the amount of games that footballers play so the fewer fixtures the better in that sense. Plus of course, you have the Champions League which will have more games next season.

»But it is not really about the top clubs, it is about the smaller clubs. If they have taken the replay away, I think they need to find a way of recompensing the lower clubs in another way.

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