Jamie Carragher has controversially claimed the Carabao Cup is a “much better competition” than the FA Cup.
The Carabao – or League Cup, as it’s otherwise known – has long been sniffed at by football fans and regarded as a ‘Mickey Mouse trophy’ where clubs often field weakened sides. The FA Cup, meanwhile, is the oldest club competition in the world and is famous for its legendary ‘giant-killings' where non-league sides dare to dream of winning huge clashes.
Yet Liverpool legend Carragher is of the view that the former has now surpassed the latter in terms of entertainment. The Sky Sports pundit took to social media after Tuesday’s round of Carabao Cup fixtures, where two ties were decided with thrilling late goals and then penalties, to state his bold opinion. Chelsea and Fulham both won on spot-kicks, while Middlesbrough beat Port Vale. Carragher's old club Liverpool face West Ham tonight.
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And discussing the competition, Carragher said: “Straight to pens with no extra time, is a much better spectacle than an extra 30 mins of football when players are shattered & terrified of making a mistake. No more extra time in any competitions please.”
He was referring to the fact that the Carabao Cup goes straight to penalties before the semi-final stage as opposed to the FA Cup, where replays take place if a fixture ends in a draw up until the fifth round (Round of 16).
The former defender added: “There is more prestige in winning the FA Cup than the Carabao Cup, but the Carabao is a much better competition. No replays, no extra time, we know the draw right away, & the cup final is not competing with the end of PL season & CL final a week later.
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“Every game is a night match, doesn’t interfere with the weekend’s games and you get to see players you’re unfamiliar with. Much better. No VAR either!”
His view left fans split on X, though one user replied: “Agree with this summary Jamie! Replays are exhausting, they should scrap it,” and another added: “No VAR is much more enjoyable!”
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However, some of the points Carragher highlighted as benefits are scrapped for the semi-final stage. The notorious VAR will be introduced in the next round of the Carabao Cup while the semis will be played over two legs.
And for non-league sides, the potential commercial revenue produced by an FA Cup replay at home could hugely benefit their finances. That in turn benefits the entire football pyramid, which would be less of a common occurrence if the replay format is scrapped.
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