Peterborough United call for move to scrap FA Cup replays to be halted

Peterborough want move to suspend FA Cup replays suspended

Peterborough United has urged the Football Association to "suspend" a move to scrap FA Cup replays.

The League One football club said changes to the FA Cup format should be suspended until "all clubs" had been consulted.

The club said it was "dismayed" at decisions by the FA and Premier League to change the format and scrap replays from the first round proper.

The club suggested changes placed "no importance" on the "essence" the cup.

Peterborough chairman Darragh MacAnthony had warned it could lead to a "fallout within English football".

The plan would see Emirates FA Cup replays scrapped from the first round onwards in 2024-25 and all rounds of the competition will be played on weekends.

Peterborough said in a statement: "We as a club would urge the FA to suspend any changes immediately until all clubs have been consulted and outcomes can be achieved that support the majority, not the minority, in terms of the competition's participants."

Peterborough chairman Darragh MacAnthony criticised the move

The club said there had been "no recent communication nor consultation" with English Football League (EFL) clubs, National League clubs or grassroots clubs.

"Peterborough United Football Club are dismayed at the decision taken by the FA and the Premier League," said the club's statement.

"Simply creating a cup competition that suits the upper end of the Premier League completely goes against the historic beauty of the competition."

Peterborough called for a "coordinated response" from clubs.

"The power of our voices together should be used to apply the correct pressure to both the FA and the Premier League to retract their decision to avoid a devastating fall out within the football pyramid," said the club statement.

"Ignoring the major proportion of clubs who these decisions will affect is an incomprehensible methodology for strategy implementation."