News, Premier League previews and European reactionBarney Ronay: City fail to deliver as Madrid’s power tells
FA Cup semi-finals, last-four encounters in the Women’s Champions League and a three-horse Premier League title race suggest positive energy is flowing from all angles going into the biggest weekend of the season so far. And yet, it isn’t quite that simple.
There’s a right old brouhaha surrounding the FA Cup with the decision to scrap replays from the first round onwards next season branded a “disgrace” in many quarters, a move designed to tip the scales even further in favour of the big clubs and deprive those further down the pyramid of much-needed revenue. Safe to say, the FA’s decision which includes the final being moved to the penultimate weekend of the Premier League campaign has caused genuine outrage.
