Helen Chamberlain ‘absolutely hates what the Champions League has done to the FA Cup’

Helen Chamberlain ‘absolutely hates what the Champions League has done to the FA Cup’, recently explaining in a passionate rant.

She echoes what so many within the football world are saying, with replays in the FA Cup proper rounds being scrapped leading to backlash, while European competitions are created and expanded, with even top players voicing anger at Fifa and Uefa, saying ‘we are not robots’.

Fans of non league clubs also were left reeling with the formation of the National League Cup, a competition for National League and professional under-21 teams playing in the Premier League 2. It has, like the Bristol Street Motors Trophy (EFL Trophy), seen a very low turnout.

Our much loved competitions are changing to suit those competing in Europe, foreign managers are calling for an end to our beloved traditions. Demanding for several things to be scrapped, from replays to competitions including the Carabao Cup.

Just have a listen, she’s bang on pic.twitter.com/v7KwCA64tT

— JP (@JordanOwl28) October 23, 2024

Thank you Jason.
It’s the saddest demise in football by far.

— Helen Chamberlain (@HellsBellsy) October 16, 2024

Helen said on the Soccer A-Z podcast: “Okay. My F, FA Cup. Alright. But, you know, normally, I bring my letter, and then I want you all involved today. Keep out of it until I’ve finished, actually, because this is gonna be a bit of a personal rant.

“I absolutely hate what the Champions League has done to the FA Cup. It used to be the full stop to the season. You had you end the season Saturday. The following weekend is your playoff finals, which were on Saturday, Sunday, bank holiday Monday. The Saturday after that, FA Cup final.

“When I was a kid, it didn’t matter who you supported. You went round the playground saying, would you wanna win the FA Cup final? And the whole school would end up split into the 2 teams. And for that day, you were a 100% a fan of the team that you wanted to win. The whole day was massive.

“Telly coverage started in the morning. We got to see footballers in silly hats. We got cameras on the coaches. After Christmas Day and my birthday, the FA Cup final, the 3rd most exciting day of the year, the underdog stories that we’ve had, Wrexham beating Arsenal, Shepshed Dynamo qualifying for the first round proper. John Duncan losing his glasses when Chesterfield equalised in the last minute against Burgh in the 97 semifinal.

“Newcastle trying to get the Stevenage fixture switched to their place, and Stevenage Borough having none of it. A few years ago, the FA Cup final was played later on in the afternoon after Premier League game. Teams putting out kids or B sides. Manchester United not bothering to enter it at all in the 99, 2000 season because they win some other tournament that they felt was more important than that. I hate it that the FA Cup is no longer the crown of English football.”

Paul MacInnes for The Guardian says “FA’s latest move reflects a further weakening of the game’s heritage and will only boost the argument for independent regulation.

“It says a lot about the state of football in England, however, that the news did come as a surprise to many within the game. The outrage that accompanied it was perhaps less shocking. The game is facing governance challenges from a number of directions, some of which directly led to the new arrangements for the Cup. From next season, each of Uefa’s three club tournaments is to expand, from 32 to 36 teams, with eight fixtures for each side competing in the league phase. There will be more matches over more midweeks and room needs to be made in the calendar to accommodate them. To that effect, fewer replays for Premier League sides in January to March would be welcomed by them. Another challenge is very much imminent.

“Changes in the calendar not only clear space for European fixtures, they make more room for new, commercially-led tournaments to be played in the summer, such as Fifa’s new, expanded Club World Cup. Set to make its debut in the US next summer, this tournament is likely to be exciting, to a point, but it is not primarily a sporting endeavour. Like everything else it is a revenue-generating one, a response to football’s insatiable need for money and the grapple for power and influence that produces. There will be more to come. That old phrase “for the good of the game” may soon have to be retired.”

Here’s how fans reacted as Helen Chamberlain says ‘absolutely hates what the Champions League has done to the FA Cup’…

@tprowl: Been loving this podcast wish they were still on tele

@JordanOwl28: I need to give it a listen, loved them on soccer am

@CarlyEmbling: Well said Hells Bells, couldn’t agree more with you. Was always a great day…. I don’t even watch it every year now 🤷🏼‍♀️

@AS_FootyReview: Couldn’t agree more @HellsBellsy 👏🏼👏🏼

@SteveH2112: Absolutely this 👏🏼👏🏼⚔️

@RSage1987: @HellsBellsy is bang on 🫶

@souly71: @soccerazpod Take a bow @HellsBellsy spot on excellent rant about the FA Cup 🏆

@richleedsuk: Absolutely 100% correct!

@nismoneil: Tell me she’s wrong.

@Markobfc: Spot on hells bells

@steviemac2010: blame the managers a well. pep whining every week about player fatigue. what suffers our cup competitions not european fixtures

@SamBeSpittinFax: Her being axed from SoccerAM might’ve actually been the point at which we started to deteriorate as a society

@simonhayes67: Ya spot on @HellsBellsy !!! And now we have a stupid money making big league in the champions league too boot 🫣🫣