Gary Lineker: Manchester United took the shine off City’s FA Cup win

Gary Lineker (Getty Images)

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Gary Lineker has bemoaned Premier League fixtures and the FA Cup final being played on the same day as officials have already announced that next year’s competitions will clash once again.

Manchester City ended a 35-year drought after winning the FA Cup 1-0 against Stoke City at Wembley at the same time that Manchester United collected the single point that earned them their 19th League title.

However, Lineker believes that more respect should be paid to the FA Cup which he deems deserves its own final even if it means that the game would be played on a late midweek
evening.

He told News of the World: “I have no doubt that this will always be a special day for Manchester City. They had not won a trophy for 35 years, after all.

“But yet again they end up being overshadowed.  Surely all the Premier League fixtures could have been moved to Sunday?   

“Instead, City have to share the spotlight with their neighbours and rivals. Yaya Toure’s picture has to fight for space with that of Wayne Rooney.

“It should have been a stand-out day for the players, the staff and, most importantly, the fans.

“And for all the celebrations, all the relief that the long wait for silverware is over, this will take the shine off it for City.

“Ironically, it was Wembley’s hosting of the Champions League Final which caused yesterday’s clash.

“And it is the rise of the Champions League and televised football coverage that have changed the FA Cup for ever.

“Let’s not be naïve. The world’s oldest knockout competition will never be what it was.”

The 50-year-old remembers when he first attended the FA Cup final in 1969 when City beat Leicester City, the club he supports, 1-0, which made him cry on the train back home with his father and grandfather.

He also participated in two Cup finals, notably for Everton in 1986 where he scored a goal.

However, he laments how the Champions League is now more coveted than the FA Cup and that the money invested in the Premier League overshadows its merits while restoring the Cup
to its status will be an arduous task.

“The amount of money there is in the game now makes Premier League survival more important than one day in May.” He added.

“For the very best players, the Champions League is a bigger prize than the oldest trophy in the world.

“The only way to restore the FA Cup’s status would be to give the winners a Champions League place. But it will never happen.

“Even though I was involved in the first semi-final to be held under the Twin Towers, I agree that the number of games now played there means reaching the famous stadium is no longer
quite as special as it was.

“The FA cannot do much about that now. Nor can we ignore the reality that television now finances football and wants some bang for its buck.

“Yet there are things that can be done to give the FA Cup a higher status. What happened yesterday was a real shame – for Manchester City, for Stoke and for football as a whole.

“Circumstances conspired against the competition. We must ensure it does not happen again. Not next year. Not ever.”