The author of the book on the FA Cup has criticised a decision to move broadcasting coverage of the competition to a pay TV channel.
The Football Association has agreed a deal with TNT Sports which will see more games than ever shown.
But while selected fixtures are expected to be free to watch, there are fears others may only be available on subscription channels.
Author Phil Annets, who wrote FA Cup 150, questioned the decision to move coverage away from free-to-air channels BBC and ITV.
“I think it’s a shame that the FA has taken a ‘money first, football nowhere’ decision to award live coverage of the FA Cup to a subscription channel such as TNT,” said Phil, who also runs the @FACupFactfile account on X, formerly Twitter.
“While it appears there will still be free-to-air matches shown live on an as yet unidentified channel, the quantity of games made available via this route will be severely diminished.”
The new broadcasting agreement will run from the start of the 2025/26 season.
Mark Bullingham, chief executive at The FA, said: “ The Emirates FA Cup is our crown jewel and it helps us to provide vital investment across every level of English football, supporting clubs, communities, facilities and the wider grassroots game.”
The four-year deal will see every game from the third round, apart from 3pm kick offs, screened.
But Phil said the negatives of the agreement would outweigh the positives.
“The FA claims that the FA Cup is their crown jewel,” he said. “But this decision does not have the best interests of the FA Cup at its core.
“I fear it is yet another decision made by the FA for short-term financial reasons that will have a long-term detrimental effect on the FA Cup.”