The draw for the next round of the Carabao Cup was made earlier in the week, and it’s safe to say that Stan Collymore is not a fan.
Part of the thrill of any cup draw for a football fan is knowing that almost any club can be paired with any other when they’re pulled out of a hat.
The supposed minnows may be paired with the favorites for the trophy, or the local rivals may have to battle it out…but not this season.
It quickly became apparent that he was headed for the big teams.
Is the new Carabao Cup third round draw unfair to the rest of the English Football League? ? pic.twitter.com/NAmdpLEdYD
— SPORTbible (@sportbible) August 29, 2024
Television footage would show that every tie had a team from the Champions League or Europa League playing a team that had progressed to the second round, rather than being an open draw.
“The Carabao Cup draw was an absolute disaster. It was a loaded, managed and overseeded draw and now we’re getting to the point where clubs with influence have too much of a say in tournaments,” Collymore told CaughtOffside for his exclusive column.
The organizers of the Carabao Cup should hang their heads in shame
“It’s very subordinate to the Premier League and the Champions League and FA Cup will eventually do that too.
“(…) It looks very bad for the Carabao Cup, but it’s also a very bad look for football in England.
“We get at least one or two tournaments again where you have an open draw, and all the smaller clubs up and down the country go ‘happy days, we might actually have a chance to win this’.”
Collymore is right.
The game has long been moving away from its traditional base, but to start rigging cup draws in favor of the bigger clubs is taking things a step too far for many.
If the game’s governing bodies are not careful, fans will start voting with their feet.
