FA Cup: Non-Premier League Teams “Don’t Get Free Covid Tests” Before Round 3

According to reports, the FA has pulled the plug from free Covid testing for teams outside the Premier League before the third round of next month’s FA Cup.

The England football governing body paid for the costs of PCR testing non-top clubs before third-round matches last season. The Athletic claims that this is not the case this time.

Instead, cheaper lateral flow tests will be used from January onwards, in line with the Premier League and EFL protocols.

Free Covid tests for non-Premier League teams in the third round of the FA Cup have been eliminated

As Covid cases continue to rise in the UK and the Omicron variant spreads in the country, the Premier League will continue its own day-to-day testing system after receiving approval at the AGM last Tuesday.

EFL has also followed suit and told its clubs that players are expected to take tests on a daily basis, albeit depending on the availability of side streams.

Last season, EFL and non-league teams didn’t have to test as often as their Premier League counterparts, but the FA still wanted competing clubs to do so and therefore offered financial help.

Also, the third and fourth rounds of the FA Cup will not feature replays for the second consecutive campaign for fear of match congestion.

Last year, the FA funded PCR tests for non-Premier League teams in the third and fourth rounds

The draws after 90 minutes will instead go straight to overtime and then to penalties, ensuring that matches don’t accumulate in the coming months due to Covid’s postponements.

The third round of the FA Cup kicks off when Premier League champion Manchester City leaves for the league’s second-team Swindon Town on January 7th.

Other matches at the weekend include European champions Chelsea out-of-league Chesterfield, Antonio Conten Tottenham vs. League One Morecambe and Premier League giant Liverpool against another League One outfit in Shrewsbury.