By Andrew Rogers

Theoretically the most important club tournament in world soccer started for real last weekend with the kickoff to the third round of the FA Cup with the Premier League sides joining the battle.  And readers might expect me to be excited about the prospect of another FA Cup tournament, but the fact is I’m gutted.

In terms of football I couldn't be any more miserable about the current state of affairs of the FA Cup.

On paper my despair would appear to be misguided, given the number of giant killings that occurred over the weekend and the level of investment The Football Association has generated.  However, the £425 million, huge broadcast coverage, and increasing number of giant killings cannot disguise the problem at the heart of the matter, money and NOT enough of it.

The FA Cup’s magic is bleeding away and the prognosis is terminal. The FA Cup has not moved with the times, and while this provides part of its charm, it is now completely out of sync with the reality of the modern game.

Cold hard cash drives the engine of English Football, and winning the competition’s £2 million winners prize would only pay Robinho’s reported salary for 3 months!

Winning the Champions League is worth in excess of £80 million, and first place in the Premiership earns the winner over £50 million. Finishing last in the EPL guarantees the club £22 million, making the FA Cup financially irrelevant from an accounting point of view.

The consequences are evident in the weekend’s results, and the poor value of the modern giant killing.

Many crowed over the “shock” of League 1’s Hartlepool defeating Premiership opponents Stoke. 20 years ago the result would have been very surprising, as both sides would have similar motives in winning the tie, but that is not the case now.

Stoke striker Dave Kitson, explained the reality of the clubs fighting to stay in the EPL last year while at Reading, he said:  "We're not going to win the FA Cup and I don't care about it, to be honest. I care about staying in the Premier League, as does everybody at this club. Our Premier League status isn't protected by winning the FA Cup and it's a simple as that.”

Peterborough’s draw with West Bromwich Albion comes into the same category, the fixture lacked integrity. When a lower league team with seasoned professional soccer players beats a distracted side or youngsters and reserve players the magic just isn’t there.

The second problem this creates is when the magic does occur, like in lowly Nottingham Forest’s defeat of Manchester City, or Torquay’s superb victory over Blackpool it never feels quite the same.

The FA Cup’s magic has been further diluted by other factors.

The rising cost of season ticket prices has had a knock on effect on Cup attendances, some fans are not prepared to spend extra money on games that are not 100% competitive.

Adding to this is the lack of intensity in some of the matches.

When English clubs were banned from Europe the ferocity of the crowd was tangible in Cup ties.

For many sides there was little chance of being promoted or relegated, and the benefits of league success was mainly prestige.  This placed a big emphasis on teams “having a nice little run in the cup,” and created incredibly tense and dramatic occasions.

One particular fixture that springs to mind is Millwall’s clash with Arsenal in 1995, when Kasey Keller kept 2 clean sheets for the South London club. Millwall defeated Arsenal 2-0 at Highbury in the replay and simply outplayed the Gunners.

If it happened now, it just would not have the same value, which is the great shame because it was this type of tie that the competition was based on.

The demise of the FA Cup does not end there. The FA’s decision to send Manchester United to the World Club Championship in Brazil in 2000 meant they did not defend their title.  To end a tradition that dates back the Great Boston Fire of 1872, is beyond madness, and highlights the low regard and understanding some administrators had for such precious sporting history. 

Sadly the decline started even before that decision when in 1995, the same year Millwall gunned down Arsenal, the FA decided to allow sponsorship of the trophy.

At the time the decision was articulated in a perfectly palatable way for fans. Littlewoods were invited to sponsor the trophy because they shared a similar history and long standing relationship with football. Additionally the name didn’t really change…The FA Cup sponsored by Littlewoods.

However, round about the time the Football Association where sending Man. United off the Rio, they granted French insurance group AXA (formed in 1985) sponsorship, and the trophy became known as The AXA sponsored FA Cup….which wasn’t very magical.

The FA Cup has a wonderful history but it's heading the same way as the maligned League Cup.

The prestige and integrity might be restored, if the FA offered similar prize money to the Champions League and EPL, because it would refocus the teams in the top two tiers.  Furthermore it might be feasible given the FA received £425 million for its 4 year TV deal in 2008.

In 1989 non league Sutton United defeated Coventry City who where playing in the then EPL and were FA Cup champions 2 years earlier. The result was spectacular because both sides were focused on the tie.  Coventry did not have an eye on Europe, concerns about their league position, or a weakened squad.

Maybe increased prize money could have a positive affect on the FA Cup, but as matters stand the current shocks, and giant killings are greatly devalued.

Andrew Rogers can be reached at andrewrogers@optonline.net

HAVE YOUR SAY…
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