Ferguson insists that Big Money has Ruined Cup Magic

Ferguson insists that Cup has lost its magic

United manager says Wembley semi-finals and lack of replays have robbed it of its sparkle

Steve Tongue  Sunday 08 January 2012

Manchester United travel to holders Manchester City this afternoon in a crucial FA Cup third-round tie but the United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, says the 140-year-old competition has lost some of its sparkle.

Ferguson blames the banning of more than one replay, playing the semi-finals at Wembley and the greater importance attached to European football. "I don't think it's got the same magic as it had when I first came down [to England in 1986]," he said. "That's a lot to do with doing away with the replays. [Additional] replays added excitement to it. People can remember Sheffield Wednesday and Arsenal going five games. OK, it's exhausting, but it created an excitement about how important it was. And now semi-finals have no replays. The emphasis on European football has changed it and playing semi-finals [at Wembley] has definitely changed it. It was a big attraction for a player to get to Wembley once in their life."

Read more at: http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/fa-league-cups/ferguson-insists-that-cup-has-lost-its-magic-6286681.html

Ferguson insists that Big Money has Ruined Cup Magic

Steve Tongue-in-Cheek  Sunday 08 January 2012

Manchester United travel to holders Manchester City this afternoon in a crucial FA Cup third-round tie but the United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, says the 140-year-old competition has lost some of its sparkle as “big money has ruined everything.”

Ferguson blames the lack of cup magic on the excessive salaries of players, owners looking for quick profits and greed. "I don't think it's got the same magic as it had when I first came down [to England in 1986]," he said. "That's a lot to do with doing away with the excessive cash inflows. People can remember Sheffield Wednesday and Arsenal going five games. OK, it's exhausting, but it created an excitement about how important it was. And now the players say it is just too much work and they need more time off to make commercial endorsements. The emphasis on money football has definitely changed it. It was a big attraction for a player to get to Wembley once in their life, now it is just about making more money faster."