Soccer

Arsenal FA Cup replay gets Uefa dispensation for Tuesday fixture

Replay against Hull City has been approved to go ahead on Champions League night

The Emirates FA Cup fifth round match between Arsenal and Hull City at the Emirates Stadium, the replay will now be on March 8th. Photograph: Julian Finney/Getty Images
Marcus Christenson
Thu Feb 25 2016 - 17:21

Arsenal will play their fifth-round FA Cup replay against Hull City on Tuesday March 8th, three days after their Premier League game against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.

The rearranged fixture means Arsene Wenger’s side will have to play seven games in 22 days if they win the replay, starting with this weekend’s Premier League encounter against Manchester United and finishing with the visit to Everton on 21st March.

The replay date was fixed after Uefa gave permission for the match to be played on the same night as Champions League fixtures. The previous night was an available date but the FA said in a statement that it recognised “both clubs are challenging for honours and require the best available preparation time”.

The FA’s chief executive, Martin Glenn, said: “We want all of our clubs to be part of strong, vibrant domestic competitions, to perform well on the European stage and for the England team to be challenging for international honours. To have a better chance of achieving these aims more effectively, it is imperative we resolve the ongoing problem of match scheduling together.

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“We would like to thank Uefa for taking the time it has to understand our position on this matter. Fixture scheduling is an issue for the whole game so let’s build upon the productive conversations we have held with the Premier League and Football League and call upon Uefa to join the discussion to create clear, workable guidelines for the benefit of all.

“This will help our teams in the pursuit for trophies, enable fans to fully enjoy and access all the matches their teams participate in and allow broadcast partners to maximise the TV rights they have purchased.”

The replay will kick off at 7pm, a 5.45pm kick-off option having been rejected by the FA. The Champions League games that night are Wolfsburg v Gent and Real Madrid v Roma.

Arsenal and Hull drew the first game, at the Emirates, 0-0 after a heroic performance by the away goalkeeper Eldin Jakupovic. The winner will face Watford in the sixth round.

The other sixth-round ties, to be played between 11-14 March, are Reading v Crystal Palace, Everton v Chelsea and Manchester United v West Ham.

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