The board of the Leyton Orient Fans' Trust (LOFT) wishes to add its voice to the clubs and supporters' trusts up and down the country who have expressed their dismay at the FA's decision to scrap replays in the FA Cup from next season.
In particular, LOFT fully supports the statement from Leyton Orient, and joins the call to pause the decision until a full and proper consultation has been held with all stakeholders throughout the game.
It is clear that this decision has been taken without any sort of consultation with supporters or the EFL, and was made to suit the few Premier League clubs who play in European competitions and not the other 700+ clubs who take part in the FA Cup.
The FA Cup has been the showpiece of English football for many years and is a competition widely regarded as one of the most historic and well known in any sport anywhere around the world. The removal of replays damages that image, and deprives lower tier and non-league clubs of potential once in a lifetime games against the big clubs of the Premier League, playing under floodlights and being a part of what has been termed for years, 'the magic of the Cup'.
Ask any Leyton Orient fan about the FA Cup, and tales will be told of the replays against Arsenal, Droylsden and Oldham Athletic, plus of course the 3 replays won in the 77/78 run to the semi-final. The memories of these games and more are why replays matter.
Replays are also potential money-spinners for smaller clubs, as O's fans will know from the 2011 replay against Arsenal. Sometimes just one glamour tie and a replay have enabled smaller clubs to wipe out a season's debt in one go.
These changes show why the bill coming before Parliament to enact an Independent Regulator for English Football is so important, so that the many can be better protected against the greed of the rich few.
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