FA make cup final pledge after agreeing £24m Budweiser deal
FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION chiefs insist they are attempting to restore the FA Cup final’s status as a stand-alone event, amid fresh concerns it could be sidelined again for the next two seasons.
Last month’s showpiece was moved forward and played on the same day as the penultimate round of Premier League fixtures, prompting leading figures in football to complain that the competition had been further devalued.
It is expected to happen again next year, because of the need for a four-week break between the end of the season and the start of the European Championships, while last night’s announcement that Wembley will host the 2013 Champions League final has raised the prospect of another repeat of this season’s controversy.
FA general secretary Alex Horne, speaking at the announcement of a three-year sponsorship deal thought to be worth £24m which will see the competition rebranded the FA Cup with Budweiser, said: “In terms of the future of the FA Cup final, we are making it an important feature of our discussions with all the relevant parties moving forward to once again provide a clear day in the calendar.”
Chris Burggraeve, chief marketing officer for Budweiser’s parent company AB In-Bev, told City PM: “We’re supportive of where the FA stand and where they want to go. The FA Cup is an icon, and icons deserve to be respected.”
A later kick-off time of 5:15pm has been mooted for next season if there is a clash, and Burggraeve added: “Fans watch any time, any day. What we hear from fans is that they want the FA Cup to be restored to its unique glory. Magic can happen at any time of the day.”
European governing body Uefa’s decision to hand the Champions League final to Wembley in 2013, so soon after this year’s staging, is likely to earn the FA at least £1m in profit.
It also coincides with the governing body’s 150th birthday celebrations, a factor Uefa chief Michel Platini cited in confirming Wembley’s selection.