FA Cup third and fourth round might be scrapped

Scrapping FA Cup replays in the third and fourth round is now under consideration in bid to solve fixture pile-up, after games were postponed following the death of the Queen

Football matches were postponed last weekend following the Queen’s death.

English football was shut down from the top flight to grassroots out of respect. But Prem chiefs now face a tough challenge in rearranging the scrapped fixtures.

Not having FA Cup replays in the third or fourth rounds is now being considered.

FA Cup third and fourth round replays could be scrapped this season as clubs look to catch up on games postponed following the death of the Queen.

The replays were ditched in each of the last two seasons, and this is now one solution under consideration to solve the fixture backlog.

Last weekend’s Premier League programme was called off as a mark of respect and two more high-profile fixtures, at Chelsea and Manchester United, have been cancelled this coming Sunday.

It leaves clubs facing a potential fixture pile-up later in the season, exacerbated by the pause in the campaign caused by the World Cup in Qatar.

Seven top-flight matches will take place over the weekend, with Brighton v Crystal Palace the other game off having already been postponed due to planned rail strikes.

‘Following extensive consultation with clubs, police, local Safety Advisory Groups and other relevant authorities, there was no other option but to postpone the three fixtures,’ a Premier League statement read.– DailyMail.