January 27 – The Hollywood celebrity owners of Wrexham, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, have had their hopes of an easy entrance for European glory dashed by the English Football Association (FA) as the FA have blocked the English Football League’s Welsh clubs’ plans to join a revamped Welsh League Cup next season.
Wrexham along with Swansea City, Cardiff City, and Newport County were hoping that by winning the new Welsh League Cup they would secure a spot in the Conference League.
Since March 2012, UEFA has mandated that Welsh clubs playing in the English Football League could not qualify for European competitions via the Welsh Cup but they could qualify via the English league and cup competitions, which is why they were subsequently excluded from the Welsh Cup.
In a statement issued by the FA, the governing body said there were concerns “regarding competition integrity, fixture congestion and player welfare, and the impact on the standing of existing competitions.
“The FA board has rejected the request.”
The FA added: “It was noted that it is open to the Welsh clubs to choose whether or not to participate in the English or Welsh system based on their own assessment of the relative merits of participation in each system, but if they choose to participate in the English system they must do so on the same basis as the English clubs which participate in that system.”
The Welsh Football Association (FAW) had hoped that by re-launching the competition as much as £3 million ($3.6m) would find its way into the club game, while also offering a path into the qualifying rounds of a UEFA club competition.
“This will be a game-changer for the development of the game as we work to unlock the full potential of Welsh football,” FAW chief executive Noel Mooney said at the launch.
“It will unite Welsh football, improve the game at all levels, and deliver meaningful societal benefits across Wales making our clubs and communities more sustainable.”
Contact the writer of this story, Nick Webster, at moc.l1740781288labto1740781288ofdlr1740781288owedi1740781288sni@o1740781288fni1740781288