In the Blue corner: CUPFINAL SHOULDBE SEASON'S CLIMAX.
Byline: Graeme SharpTHE FA Cup is this country's showpiece cup competition and should be played on the final weekend of the season.
Instead, hundreds of Premiership footballers will have sat down to watch this afternoon's clash between Chelsea and Arsenal in the knowledge they still have a week of hard work on the training ground ahead of them.
Those players should have completed their work for the season and should be taking a well earned rest. And this season it is more important than ever.
Never before has the World Cup kicked off so early in the summer. The climate in the Far East has dictated that.
As a result, the majority of Europe's major leagues have finished earlier than normal in order to give their national players a decent rest before focusing on the tournament.
But over here the Premiership players, many of whom will be in action in Japan and South Korea, have to stay with their clubs until next weekend.
Ironically, the Football League season was completed a fortnight ago.
It should have been the same for the Premiership. It certainly should have finished today, with the FA Cup final played next weekend.
Instead, the Premier League has chosen to steal the limelight from the FA Cup by making the final day of the league season the grand finale of the English football calendar.
Thankfully, the FA Cup will return to its rightful place in the schedule next season.
But its two year stint on the penultimate weekend has still done a lot to undermine the tournament's unique status.
It will also have irritated international managers, club bosses and fans.
Why should clubs such as Southampton, Tottenham and Leeds and the other sides in mid-table have to endure a two week wait before playing their final game of the season?
Everton's Joe-Max Moore has already joined up with the USA squad ahead of the World Cup.
I am sure there are many other Premiership players who could have joined their national squads had their managers given them permission.
Everton are involved in a meaningful contest next weekend, despite having already secured their Premiership safety, because Arsenal still have something to play for.
But the Gunners should not have had to prepare for today's match having to worry about two further matches in the next week.
There always used to be a real buzz about FA Cup final week. The media was totally focused on the game and it added to the lustre of the tournament.
This week, the press have been concentrating on Arsenal's impending Premiership triumph and Manchester United's Champions League adventure.
Only in the last couple of days has the FA Cup grabbed the headlines.
People have spoken in recent seasons about the FA Cup losing some of its magic. It has in the last two seasons.
The finger should be pointed at the men at the Premiership and the FA who decided to switch the final to the penultimate week of the season.
It has not benefited the players, the clubs, the fans or the international coaches. It is a move which should never be repeated.
CAPTION(S):
SHOWPIECE: Michael Owen holds aloft the FA Cup last season, a week before the Premiership finished, while Joe-Max Moore (below right) has joined the USA World Cup squad already
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| Title Annotation: | Sport |
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| Publication: | Liverpool Echo (Liverpool, England) |
| Date: | May 4, 2002 |
| Words: | 554 |
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