" EFL clubs blocked from Welsh League Cup "

Welsh EFL clubs' hopes of competing in Europe have been dashed after the Football Association on Friday blocked attempts to allow those playing in the English leagues to participate in the Welsh League Cup.

The new-look Welsh League Cup has been granted a Conference League qualification spot by UEFA and the Football Association of Wales (FAW) had wanted the EFL’s Welsh clubs – Cardiff, Swansea, Wrexham and Newport – to participate.

However, the English FA board has rejected the proposal.

A statement from the FA sent to the PA news agency read: “The FA board has considered a request made by four Welsh clubs to take part in a restructured version of the FAW League Cup which would provide an opportunity to qualify for UEFA competition.

“As part of the request, the Welsh clubs would forfeit their existing right to qualify for UEFA club competitions through the English system whilst they remained members of the EFL.

“The Welsh clubs would then seek to qualify for UEFA competition via the English system should they be promoted to the Premier League.

“As a result of the request, the FA undertook a thorough consultation with stakeholders and invited submissions from the Welsh clubs.

“Following careful consideration, taking into account various factors including equal opportunity for clubs to participate in the same competitions, for the same rewards on an equal basis; concerns raised by stakeholders regarding competition integrity, fixture congestion and player welfare, and the impact on the standing of existing competitions, the FA board has rejected the request.

“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.”

Don’t need to be wasting our minutes in Welsh competitions, never wanted to jeopardise our position in the EFL/PL system.

The rejection makes complete sense, was never a good idea to try.

Don’t need to be wasting our minutes in Welsh competitions, never wanted to jeopardise our position in the EFL/PL system.

The rejection makes complete sense, was never a good idea to try.

You suspect that if faw hadn't done what did years ago we would have been stopped from entering Europe via Welsh Cup eventually for same reasons fa state here... at least it now been put to bed wasn't a great idea....
Mind you got to laugh sighting fixtures and player welfare as a reason? club WC goes ahead with same problems signified by clubs yet ignored by fifa ect..

I have said from the beginning that I had no issue with this - as long as the EFL and English FA didn't.

But we now know they do, so that has to be the end of this.

Can see the English FA's argument too in that statement, it's a fair response.

If you want European football play in your countries league simple as.

Had the Welsh FA not had a league system then I think we may have still been competing in Europe from time to time.

Is it Lichtenstein whose teams play in the Swiss league as they do not have their own? The Lichtenstein FA then have their own cup competitions for their clubs to play in Europe.

I think the oddity is the Canadian teams who play in the MLS even though there is a Canadian league. But they DO play in the Canadian Cups and then qualify for their continents competitions.

Looking at the FA response it looks like a case of wanting the 'penny and the bun'
The response states that the Welsh clubs would forfeit the right to play in European competitions through the EFL, BUT if promoted to the Premier League would seek qualification to EUFA competitions via the English system. You can't have it both ways can you?

Fair decision, it was never going to be approved.

Always happy to hold my hands up - I was one who would have liked to have both sides of the cherry by playing in the EFL and playing in the WLC and possibly Europe.

But earlier this week, and after my earlier posts on the subject, I took the opportunity to see what sort of competition actually play in the Conference League and, apart from a few big clubs, there is not much that would persuade me to take a trip abroad.

If we want to play against those clubs we can do so in Pre-Season Friendlies.

I’m absolutely totally fine with this.

If we get promoted we have 4 chances of Europe (unlikely but they exist) and we already have 2 chances albeit in different competitions.

We don’t have to share the prize money and the gates along the way to any option will be higher.

We play in the English pyramid. We compete with their rules.

I also think the way the faw excluded Merthyr and have now tried to bribe them resulting in negative towards Merthyr is pretty shoddy.

Fair enough on the decision, although don't come up with shitty excuses like fixture congestion and player welfare. Teams affiliated to the FA play foreign friendlies during the season on occasion and as stated earlier the FIFA world club cup. Years ago we regularly qualified for Europe via the Welsh Cup with no issues back then. I know times have changed and we play a few more league games now then we did back then but it's the hypocritical excuses used that I can't accept. Guess we'll just have to go and win their FA cup again

Welsh fa shit in Welsh league clubs years ago...leave them there...ruined the Welsh cup as tournament....good riddance

Don’t need to be wasting our minutes in Welsh competitions, never wanted to jeopardise our position in the EFL/PL system.

The rejection makes complete sense, was never a good idea to try.

You suspect that if faw hadn't done what did years ago we would have been stopped from entering Europe via Welsh Cup eventually for same reasons fa state here... at least it now been put to bed wasn't a great idea....
Mind you got to laugh sighting fixtures and player welfare as a reason? club WC goes ahead with same problems signified by clubs yet ignored by fifa ect..

Player welfare did make me laugh, not an issue when there’s Nations League added and extra European competitions, but scrap FA Cup replays ruining chances for small clubs to earn extra cash.

Welsh fa shit in Welsh league clubs years ago...leave them there...ruined the Welsh cup as tournament....good riddance

Bang on , hope Merthyr f**k then off too

Having made this decision can the four welsh clubs leave the FAW a join the English Football Association and, if so, is there any benefit in it?

Can't say I disagree.

Having made this decision can the four welsh clubs leave the FAW a join the English Football Association and, if so, is there any benefit in it?

That’s the interesting one, Paul. It’s been mooted previously when Alun Evans was ruining the path Welsh football (referees included) then had and for me, it should be the case that we are completely under the FA banner

I’m not 100% sure, as things might have changed in recent seasons, but we were at one point ‘disciplined’ by the FAW for offences carried out in the EFL, which is/was madness…!

Keep the FAW at arms length and be wary of Trojans bearing gifts, IMHO…!

Having made this decision can the four welsh clubs leave the FAW a join the English Football Association and, if so, is there any benefit in it?

That’s the interesting one, Paul. It’s been mooted previously when Alun Evans was ruining the path Welsh football (referees included) then had and for me, it should be the case that we are completely under the FA banner

I’m not 100% sure, as things might have changed in recent seasons, but we were at one point ‘disciplined’ by the FAW for offences carried out in the EFL, which is/was madness…!

Keep the FAW at arms length and be wary of Trojans bearing gifts, IMHO…!

it might actually have a benefit regarding loans, I'm sure I read something a couple of years ago that said the Welsh clubs in efl are treated as overseas as we answer to FAW, Premier league clubs can only loan a certain number of players to foreign clubs, so if we are under the English FA we won't be taking up one of the limited foreign loan slots meaning we might have better chance of securing loans from big clubs

Having made this decision can the four welsh clubs leave the FAW a join the English Football Association and, if so, is there any benefit in it?

That’s the interesting one, Paul. It’s been mooted previously when Alun Evans was ruining the path Welsh football (referees included) then had and for me, it should be the case that we are completely under the FA banner

I’m not 100% sure, as things might have changed in recent seasons, but we were at one point ‘disciplined’ by the FAW for offences carried out in the EFL, which is/was madness…!

Keep the FAW at arms length and be wary of Trojans bearing gifts, IMHO…!

it might actually have a benefit regarding loans, I'm sure I read something a couple of years ago that said the Welsh clubs in efl are treated as overseas as we answer to FAW, Premier league clubs can only loan a certain number of players to foreign clubs, so if we are under the English FA we won't be taking up one of the limited foreign loan slots meaning we might have better chance of securing loans from big clubs

Also means a slight delay when we sign a poster from an English club because we have to get international clearance.

Swings and roundabouts.

Makes more sense for us to be under the English FA umbrella, same goes for the other three Welsh EFL clubs.