The Football Association have
defied UEFA in order to allow Arsenal and Hull to settle their FA
Cup tie on a Champions League night.
The fifth round replay has been
fixed for 7pm on Tuesday March 8, and this means the FA can expect a fine from
UEFA because it clashes directly with Real Madrid v Roma and Wolfsburg v Gent
in the Champions League. Hull v Arsenal will also be shown on BT Sport.
The only way to avoid sanction
on that date would be to kick-off early as Barcelona did against Sporting Gijon
in La Liga last week.
Half an hour before the
Champions League starts and, as the FA Cup replay could go all the way to
extra-time and penalties, they would have been looking at a 5pm kick-off.
There are exceptions, but these
include lower-tier games not broadcast live and games postponed by force
majeure. Not because clubs don't want to play twice in three days.
Any fine incurred will be 'proportionate
to the seriousness of the breach', according to UEFA.
The FA's decision represents a
success for the two clubs in question, although Championship leaders Hull may
note the value of Arsenal's power and influence at the FA.
Steve Bruce's teams were
involved in a similar incident two years ago, following a draw against Brighton
in the FA Cup fifth round.
The teams were not permitted to
play on a Champions League night and forced into a replay on Monday 24
February, won by Hull.
This year, FA Cup holders
Arsenal protested forcefully against a Monday fixture, two days after the North
London derby against Tottenham, and got their way after what the FA described
as 72 hours of 'in-depth and exhaustive discussions'.
The FA statement said 'numerous
factors' had to be considered: 'Firstly, both clubs are challenging for honours
and require the best available preparation time. As such, Monday 7 March was
ruled out as an option.
'It is recognised that this
match will be partially played when UEFA have a scheduled programme of European
fixtures and if there were any suitable alternatives, The FA would have warmly
accepted these.
There was an option for a
5.45pm kick off, however, the spirit of The FA Cup is strongly defined by the
supporters and an earlier time would have significantly impacted on fans'
attendance. This was not a viable solution.'
Read more here SOURCE DailyMail
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