THE FA has intervened to stop non-league Macclesfield receiving Crystal Palace’s share of the ticket sales from their FA Cup clash.
Sixth-tier Macclesfield produced one of the biggest shocks in the history of the competition by beating the holders 2-1 at home on January 10.
Palace had committed to a classy gesture leading up to the match, pledging to donate their half of the gate receipts to their opponents, who went bust in 2020 and relaunched the following year.
But FA competition rules have stopped them in their tracks.
The governing body has written to both sides to put the brakes on what would have been a welcome cash injection for Macclesfield.
FA rule 233 states: “A club must not enter, or attempt to enter, into any agreement with another club under which their obligations under these competition rules regarding the sharing of net gate receipts may be varied or amended.”
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Macclesfield owner Rob Smethurst – who bought the club on Rightmove in 2020 after a four-day booze bender – addressed the difficulties involved in running a football club that’s climbing through the divisions during that fairytale FA Cup weekend.
He told talkSPORT: “Within football, unfortunately, the better you do and the higher you move up the leagues, the worse it actually gets financially as an owner.
“Success brings other challenges because obviously your fan base want you to keep on moving up the leagues, but sometimes it’s not affordable.”
Macclesfield will be boosted by the sponsorship and TV money from their win over Palace.
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And their upcoming fourth-round meeting at home to Brentford, which will again be broadcast on TNT Sports, is set to raise even more cash.
But FA Cup runs have become less lucrative for smaller sides as time has gone on.
Relatively low ticket prices and the scrapping of replays have contributed to the losses, which the FA have sought to offset by raising prize money.
The FA have hardened their stance on the donation of gate receipts in recent years.
Exeter benefited to the tune of £1MILLION in 2004, when Manchester United gave them all of the ticket sales from a goalless Old Trafford draw which forced a money-spinning replay at St James Park.
