FA Cup's £9m-a-year renewal with Emirates dents Premier League winter break plan
* The FA's new Emirates deal until 2021 will impact on winter break discussions
* Premier League was eyeing FA Cup weekend slots in the crowded calendar
* Winter break seen as crucial in helping England perform better in tournaments
* They want replays scrapped and a mainly midweek knockout competition
The FA's agreement with Emirates to extend their FA Cup sponsorship until 2021 will impact on discussions around a winter break.
The £9million-a-year deal puts the FA Cup on a healthy footing for the next four seasons, just as the Premier League were eyeing the Cup's weekend slots in their ongoing bartering with the FA over the crowded calendar.
The Premier League's big bargaining chip is agreeing to a winter break — seen as crucial in helping England perform better in tournaments.
The Football Association have signed a new three-year sponsorship deal with Emirates
In return they want FA Cup replays scrapped and a mainly midweek knockout competition, keeping more Saturdays and Sundays free for the most lucrative foreign TV rights.
But with the FA now having four more years with a bluechip sponsor and a bumper guarantee for their overseas Cup rights, those FA Cup weekends are becoming an increasingly valuable commodity.
The FA Cup's global appeal was the key to Emirates signing on again when it was widely expected that they would not renew.
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