LONDON: The Football Association (FA), England football’s governing body announced on Friday a new annual mid-season player break which will be implemented from the 2019-20 season onwards. This applies to the Premier League and the EFL.
The break will be set in February in such a manner that Premier League games will still be played during that period on every weekend. It will feature five games on the first weekend and five on the following weekend.
As a result, the FA has decided to shift the Emirates FA Cup fifth round matches to mid-week. Replays of those matches will be scrapped and replaced with extra-time and penalties in the first tie itself. The thought behind the move is reported to be player burnout and the quality of football being affected due to a congested calendar in comparison to countries such as Spain, Germany and Italy.
All three divisions within the EFL will remain unchanged, with a full League programme for all 72 EFL Clubs taking place on each of the weekends where there is a break.
Martin Glenn, FA chief executive, said: “This is a significant moment for English football and one that we believe will greatly benefit both club and country. It’s no secret that we have a very congested fixture calendar and over recent years we have been working with the whole game to find a solution.
“Today’s announcement proves that football can come together for the good of the game. We have also found a way to give the players a much needed mid-season break, whilst keeping the much-loved Christmas schedule in place. As we head into summer international tournaments in the future we are sure that this mid-season break will prove to be a valuable addition for our players.”
Richard Scudamore, the outgoing Premier League executive chairman added: “We have been discussing the football calendar with The FA and EFL for several months, including ways we can work together to ease fixture congestion, keep the Premier League action going right through the season and provide a mid-season player break.
“We are very pleased to have an outcome that will include an exciting first for fans – a full fixture programme split over two weekends with all matches broadcast live in the UK.”
