Wigan Athletic is dismayed by the decision taken by the FA and Premier League to change the format of the historic Emirates FA Cup without fair consultation. We join fellow EFL clubs in urging The FA to review the decision and consult with all clubs that these changes will impact on.
On Thursday 18 April, a public announcement was made revealing the FA and Premier League have agreed to scrap FA Cup replays from the first round proper, followed by a further FA statement today [Friday 19 April].
Prior to both FA announcements, there had been no recent communication nor consultation with EFL clubs, National League clubs or grassroots clubs regarding the decision, showing a total disregard for those outside the top flight of English Football.
The FA Cup is the oldest national cup competition in the world and a competition that is etched in the DNA of our Football Club, as one of only eight clubs that has won the FA Cup in the last 20 years.
We understand that replays can often be extremely lucrative for clubs, and this decision could have substantial consequences for any EFL or National League Club embarking on a cup run. The FA’s own statistics illustrate that at least one EFL club each year would ordinarily get a substantial financial benefit from a replay, but non-league clubs would stand to benefit further.
As a Football Club, we know just how important replays can be, after we beat AFC Bournemouth at the second time of asking on the way to winning our historic FA Cup in 2013 - a feat that may not have been achieved under different circumstances. We also defeated AFC Fylde and AFC Bournemouth via replays in 2017/18, a famous run which saw the Club reach the FA Cup Quarter Finals as a League One club, beating Pep Guardiola's Manchester City in the process.
Wigan Athletic has always had a strong affinity with the FA Cup, with some of the greatest ever moments in the Club’s 92-year history coming in the competition, as both a Premier League outfit lifting the famous old trophy and as a non-league club claiming a major scalp in our pre-EFL days.
We join fellow EFL clubs in urging The FA to review this decision and undertake a fair consultation with all clubs that these changes will impact.