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HARRIS EURO PLAN FOR WELSH EXILES |
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TNS boss Mike Harris has entered the exiles argument by urging the FAW to give
the Nationwide clubs a consolation place in the Uefa InterToto Cup.
"We were for Cardiff, Swansea and Wrexham returning to the Welsh Cup -
provided they quit the FA Cup," said Harris.
"Otherwise, they would have had two bites of the cherry in the main cup
competitions in England and Wales and that wasn't fair.
"On top of that, their return to the Welsh Cup means the very future of
the FAW Premier Cup would have been put in jeopardy - and this is a competition
which brings an awful lot of revenue to our clubs.
"Just finishing eighth in our league, and qualifying for the FAW Premier
Cup brings in £15,000.
"And speaking of windfalls, Wrexham probably banked in excess of £150,000
from the competition they won last month, which would have helped pay the summer
wages."
Harris says the Premier Cup would be given additional status and interest if
an InterToto Cup spot were available for the winners.
"I appreciate that, just as with the Welsh Cup, there are big political
hurdles to overcome here," Harris went on.
"But look, the InterToto Cup is a different competition to the Champions
League or UEFA Cup.
"Like the FAW Premier Cup it is a newish sort of competition. We could
even play it in a league sort of format, do things slightly differently.
"There were issues with the return of Cardiff, Swansea and Wrexham to the
Welsh Cup. But the difference is that they already play in the FAW Premier Cup.
"And there would be no objections whatsoever, as far as I could see, to
any of us agreeing to the winners of the competition playing in the InterToto
Cup."
The matter may be raised when the FAW Premier Cup board meets in Caersws today.
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11 June 2021 |
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