The Magic Of The FA Cup

The FA Cup is the oldest competition in the world. It is watched by people from countries all over the globe, and has the history that really gives the tournament that little bit extra. The thing that makes the FA Cup so special is that it is just a straight, knock-out competition - there are no leagues like in the Champions League and UEFA cup, and anybody can beat anybody in a one-off match.

This is what makes the FA cup so special: the prospect of a cup upset. You can get Yeovil playing Chelsea in the 3 rd round, and Yeovil could easily win if they have the game of their life. Last years FA Cup was one to remember. All of the top teams went out, and the only Premiership club to be represented in the final was Portsmouth, which eventually went on to win it. Barnsley knocked out Liverpool in what was a fantastic game to watch, with an electric atmosphere. That game summed up entirely what the FA Cup was about.

In the year 2000, after Man Utd had won the treble in 1999, they decided against entering the FA Cup and opted to go in the World Club Championships instead. This was a big mistake as they didn’t do very well at all. They lost to Vasco De Gama in Brazil, with a Gary Neville own goal, and were criticised heavily in England for their disrespect of the FA Cup.

The TV rights for the FA Cup have been with the BBC for a long time, but this season they are changing to ITV for the first time. BBC has now lost all of its live football coverage, and is only left with Match Of The Day.

The FA Cup temporarily lost a bit of its magic by playing its finals at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff whilst the new Wembley was being built, but it has now returned home a few years behind schedule. Anyway, what else do you expect? One of the major criticisms since returning to Wembley is the FA’s decision to play the semi-finals there as well. This completely ruins the magic, as it means fans have to go there twice in order to see their team win, which seems absolutely pointless. This is especially unfair if it’s Newcastle v Sunderland - both sets of fans have to travel a few hundred miles just to watch a semi-final! It is clear why the FA has done this though - to try and pay off the huge debts they took on when building the new stadium, when the costs spiralled out of control.

They have now decided to stage other events there such as the NFL, a racing special where current and ex-formula 1 drivers race each other. Chris Hoy is due to be racing Lewis Hamilton there in a ‘man versus machine’ competition.

One thing for sure though - despite all the issues, the FA Cup is still the No. 1 competition!