Carlisle United owners don't rule out FA Cup boycott
Replays are set to be scrapped from the first round onwards next season
The owners of Carlisle United haven't ruled out joining a mass boycott of the FA Cup, if that were to be proposed.
There's been mass criticism of plans, agreed by the FA & the Premier League, to scrap replays from the 1st round onwards, in return for more money to be invested into grassroots football.
Currently, replays are played up to the fourth round - if there's a draw in the original tie.
This week, Accrington Stanley’s owner confirmed he would consider joining a boycott if it were proposed by clubs across the country.
We put the question to Carlisle United owner Tom Piatek in an interview yesterday (Monday 22nd April) and he said;
"That's a big question. We would be open to anything, but we don't want to compromise the competition either
"I think the response from the clubs has been pretty strong condemning it. Some of those matches save these clubs"
The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, has now joined forces with Fair Game, a coalition of clubs committed to reforming the governance of the game, in seeking to protect replays in law.
Burnham and Fair Game want an urgent amendment to be made to the Football Governance Bill, which is set for its second reading in Parliament on Tuesday, to give the independent regulator the power to block changes if it does not have support from a majority of clubs.