EFL Denies Rule Change for Carabao Cup Semi-finals Despite Carragher’s Plea
The football calendar at the top level is becoming increasingly congested, with a frequent idea to reduce the number of games being to make the semi-finals played over one leg at a neutral venue. However, the EFL appears to be firmly against that suggestion, at least until the Premier League can agree on a financial distribution package to the lower leagues.
More European games are set to be played next season as a result of the expanded Champions League, and the Premier League is keen to reduce fixture congestion. Despite this, the EFL has delayed a vote on an extra £125 million-a-year settlement, and a change to either the Carabao Cup or FA Cup third and fourth round replays has been dismissed by chairman Trevor Birch.
Trevor Birch, the EFL chairman, has shot down the idea of one-legged Carabao Cup semi-finals, stating that, “The fixture calendar remains a shared asset across the EFL, Premier League, and Football Association, and additional pressures from revamped European competitions make scheduling across the season challenging and complex, requiring a whole game response to find a solution.”
Birch has also emphasized that there should be no more extra time in any competitions and has expressed his views on the prestige of winning the FA Cup versus the Carabao Cup. He stated that the Carabao Cup is a much better competition and highlighted the benefits of no replays, no extra time, immediate knowledge of the draw, and the cup final not competing with the end of the Premier League season and the Champions League final a week later.
