Millwall chief executive Steve Kavanagh has spoken out against the FA, accusing them of passing the buck in the recent furor over the decision to scrap FA Cup replays. A key figure on the Professional Game Board (PGB) and vice-chairman of the FA Cup committee, Kavanagh has denied that any of these bodies signed off on the major changes to the FA Cup.
The controversy erupted following the FA's announcement of major changes to the beloved FA Cup, including the elimination of replays, as part of a new deal with the Premier League. The move sparked immediate criticism from clubs and supporters alike, although claims also emerged that Millwall chief Kavanagh and his fellow EFL board members at the PGB had also given their approval.
However, Kavanagh has vehemently denied having any input and has criticized the FA for trying to pass the blame on to others. Speaking to Mirror Football, he expressed his frustration, saying: "The first I heard of this announcement was when people were sitting around the table [yesterday]."
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"The FA statement is very clear: this is an agreement between the FA and the English Premier League. This has nothing to do with the EFL. We are not a party to that agreement and we are not included in that agreement. We I am not consulted and actually I have no idea what is in that agreement. This is the FA doing a deal with the Premier League, and that is their right, but it does have consequences for the rest of the pyramid.
"The FA has now done that deal without agreeing any compensation for the EFL clubs. When an anonymous spokesperson then goes out and tries to shift the finger of blame at the EFL, and even more pointedly, naming people like Myself, Rick Parry, Peter Risdale and the clubs have somehow signed off on this. That is a deviation of the highest order and it does not correspond to reality."
Kavanagh admitted that discussions about potentially losing two-legged semi-finals in the Carabao Cup and the possibility of losing FA Cup replays had taken place during previous discussions with the Premier League over the reallocation of funds at the top level. However, he claims no discussions of a similar nature took place during the FA Cup committee meetings.
Once the changes were announced to Kavanagh and other members of the PGB, he made it clear in no uncertain terms that clubs would not be happy about losing replays, but was told this would happen anyway.
The vice-chairman of the FA Cup Committee said: "I made it clear to someone in the FA, who is on the PGB, that their view, namely that clubs would be happy if replays were scrapped, was wrong and it was not my opinion." But he stuck to that position and we were presented with a fait accompli.
"I was told by someone from the FA that the FA Cup is the FA's tournament and they make the decisions on that. So how can they now start pointing the finger at people from the EFL and suggesting that we somehow ' are you responsible?
"What the FA should do is take responsibility for their decision, take responsibility for the agreement they have entered into with the Premier League, stand up and, if there is bullshit, take that bullshit and then tell us what compensation they going to get." pass it on to the entire pyramid."
"I am the vice-chairman of the FA Cup committee. At no point in the FA Cup committee discussions has anyone spoken about replays and canceling the replays. No conversation," Kavanagh added.
"So, to now twist this and point the finger at EFL representatives on these committees who work damn hard for football, and blame them when the decision is clearly a contract between the Premier League and the FA , quite frankly, disgusting."
Meanwhile, the FA released a statement on Friday acknowledging the criticism. They noted that the Professional Game Board was part of the process and approved the decision.
The statement read: "We have listened to the concerns raised over the past 24 hours and would like to outline the approval process that has been carried out for the 2024-2025 professional football calendar. We discussed the calendar for the period 2024-2025. season with the Premier League and EFL for over a year.
"The removal of Emirates FA Cup replays was discussed at initial meetings and all parties accepted that they could not go ahead. Discussions then focused on how we could make all our leagues stronger, despite having less data available and wanting to maintain player welfare.
"The changes to the Emirates FA Cup achieve this by returning to a weekend competition each round and ensuring we have exclusive coverage in an increasingly busy calendar.
"For clarification, we have also increased the number of Emirates FA Cup matches broadcast in the early rounds, which will lead to additional guaranteed broadcast revenue for EFL and National League teams. In addition, we annually review the prize money for the competition, together with representatives from the EFL and PL, and will do the same for the 2024-2025 season.
"The calendar for next season was approved last month by the Professional Game Board, which consists of four EFL representatives and four Premier League representatives, and subsequently by the FA Board, which consists of Premier League, EFL, National Game and grassroots representatives. is the process we go through every year to approve the calendar.
"We understand the concerns raised over the last 24 hours and we will share more details with clubs very soon to explain the additional revenue opportunities in the early rounds. We will keep this under review as the new calendar begins to take effect that EFL and National League Clubs do not lose."
The EFL have hit back, saying in their own statement: "The EFL would like to further clarify its position in relation to yesterday's bilateral announcement from the Premier League and the Football Association regarding the removal of FA Cup replays and the role of the representatives of the League in the field of football competition. Professional game board (PGB).
"The agreement which now sees the abolition of replays from the league format was agreed solely between the Premier League and the FA. Before the deal was announced, there was no agreement with the EFL, nor was there any formal consultation with EFL clubs such as members of the league." FA and competition participants."
The statement continued: "In September 2023, the EFL initially discussed with Clubs possible changes to the FA Cup format, but only as part of a wider and more fundamental change to financial distributions. As is now clear, there is no movement in this situation. area since September.
"This latest deal between the Premier League and the FA is, in the absence of financial reform, just another example of how the EFL and its clubs are being marginalized in favor of others higher up the pyramid and that only serves to threaten the future. " of the English game.
"The EFL is today calling on both the Premier League and the FA, as a governing body, to re-evaluate their approach to their football partnership with the EFL and work more collaboratively on issues that directly impact our clubs.
"A separate issue is the role of the EFL representatives on the Professional Game Board (PGB) in agreeing the overall fixture list for 2024/25. PGB is there to make technical decisions throughout the game, as opposed to major policy decisions such as league changes. or formats.
"Any decision made on the calendar involving EFL representatives is in no way an endorsement of the joint deal agreed between the FA and the Premier League, which imposes stand-alone changes to the FA Cup competition format.
"As part of the discussions, the EFL representatives challenged the position and were told that Clubs would be comfortable if there were no replays. They were effectively told that because it was an FA competition, the fixture list had to be agreed as It is also important to note that this issue has not been discussed by the FA Cup Committee, a separate group that oversees competition in professional and domestic football."
