FA Cup replays axed for 2020-21
The FA Cup will not have replays for the 2020-21 season to help ease fixture congestion caused by the COVID-19 crisis, England’s Football Association said yesterday.
Next season’s competition is scheduled to begin on September 1 — only a month after the 2020 final — with the showpiece match at London’s Wembley set to take place on May 15, 2021.
“In order to assist in easing pressure on the football schedule, there will be no replays for the 2020-21 season,” the FA said in a statement, as it announced the schedule.
The FA added that the prize fund would return to 2017-18 levels because of the financial impact of the novel coronavirus outbreak after two seasons of record payment levels.
The winner will receive 1.8 million pounds (US$2.36 million), down from 3.6 million pounds last season.
Arsenal beat London rival Chelsea in the 2020 final on August 1 for a record-extending 14th triumph in the competition.
Meanwhile, the English Football League said the two-legged semifinals of the League Cup will be replaced by single ties to be played in January 2021.
The first four rounds of the competition will take place on consecutive weeks, kicking off in early September.
English Premier League clubs will enter the competition in the second or third round if they are competing in European competition in the 2020-21 season.
The draw for the first round will take place on August 18.
Manchester City beat Aston Villa 2-1 in March to win the trophy last season.
The new EPL season will begin on September 12 and finish on May 23, with the full schedule detailing all 380 matches set to be released no later than August 21.
Liverpool won the 2019-20 EPL title in June with seven games to spare after the season resumed following a three-month suspension due to COVID-19.
The EFL season is also scheduled to start on September 12.
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