Fans left BAFFLED by the FA Cup’s TV schedule as two huge fourth round clashes are picked on Friday – with one not even on television – and another tie kicking off on Sunday morning!
- A number of Premier League-only links have been bypassed by broadcasters
- But teams lower down the football pyramid will benefit from broadcasting fees
- Young Man United fans sing songs about players who didn’t even play in their lifetime. Some of them have no heroes. It’s damn – It all starts
Fans have been left stunned by the FA Cup TV selections after the broadcast choices for the competition’s fourth round were announced.
Premier League sides such as Manchester City and Manchester United, Aston Villa, Chelsea and Newcastle have made it through the third round unscathed, as have Championship high-flyers Ipswich and Leicester ahead of the next stage, which starts on Friday 26 January.
Surprise package Maidstone United are the bottom division club to qualify, with the National League South beating League One’s Stevenage 1-0 on Saturday.
But with the decisions made about which matches will be televised for the next round, it will be possible for a number of fans to watch their club in action on ITV or BBC.
The first day of this weekend’s FA Cup action sees two matches played on Friday evening – Tottenham against Manchester City and Aston Villa’s trip to London to take on Chelsea – but only one will be televised.
Manchester City’s FA Cup defense against Tottenham will be televised on Friday evening
Maidstone United’s historic clash with Ipswich kicks off a day of FA Cup action on Saturday
Ange Postecoglou’s match against Pep Guardiola’s Treble winners will be broadcast on ITV1. However, those interested in watching the Blues match against Villa will not be able to watch the match live.
The oddity stems from the lack of options the Blues have to organize the tie, with Fulham also playing at home just a stone’s throw away from Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
Due to the Cottagers’ extra matches on January 24 and 30, they will not be able to play on any other day of the weekend, with Villa returning to action on January 30.
Chelsea’s pre-FA Cup tie takes place on January 23 when they play the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Middlesbrough at home.
The fixture list has also caused controversy with the inclusion of a rarely spotted morning kick-off on Sunday, January 28.
West Bromwich Albion’s match against Brentford or Wolves will be broadcast on ITV1 with kick-off at 11.45am.
Fans expressed their frustration at the rare timing on social media, with some calling the decision to move the match to Sunday morning ‘disgraceful’.
Maidstone’s visit to Ipswich will be broadcast on BBC ONE as the early kick-off on Saturday January at 12.30pm, while ITV will host the other Saturday selection, Fulham versus Newcastle, at 5.30pm.
The broadcaster will also broadcast Liverpool versus Norwich or Bristol Rovers at 2.30pm.
The primetime match slot on Sunday has been allocated to either Newport County or Eastleigh, who will replay their third round tie before facing Man United.
Each of the clubs involved in the televised matches will receive an additional payment of £110,000 in broadcast compensation – a transformative sum for those lower down the football pyramid.
The compensation is in addition to any prize money won from the tie.
