The world's oldest football competition the F.A. Cup continues its descent into mediocrity as the Football Association has signed a £24 million sponsorship deal with Budweiser.America's best-selling 'beer' (over 11 billion bottles per year) continues to seek new ways to shake off its reputation for tasting too weak and tepid to tempt Europeans away from their native brews. The three-year deal sees the great competition renamed as "The FA Cup with Budweiser," amid much talk of brands and promoting the cup overseas, but unless the prize money increases immensely it is hard to see how it can regain the prestige it enjoyed for decades.Bud has been the exclusive beer of World Cup stadia for years now, a fact bemoaned by fans far and wide and the subject of a major campaign by German supporters before the 2006 tournament. In a pathetic effort to avoid negative associations, Budweiser changed its name inside Germany's 2006 stadia to the more Teutonic sounding 'Anheuser Busch', but the same fizzy drink emerged from the taps. The company is now part of the Belgian-Brazilian giant AB InBev, whose brands include Becks, Hoegaarden, Labatt's and Stella Artois.Despite the alarming rise in alcohol-related illnesses from Britain's binge-drinking culture , and the obvious appeal of football and advertising to children, the news of Bud's hook-up with the FA confirms the link between football and booze remains strong. - Sean O'Conor Tags World Cup Pens World Cup Posters Euro 2012 football

Manchester City take on Stoke City at Wembley today for the oldest prize in professional football, the FA Cup . The days of the cup final resembling the Superbowl as a national event are clearly spent, confirmed by the FA's scheduling of Premier League fixtures on the same day for the first time. Fixture congestion caused by the Champions League final on a Saturday at Wembley is a good excuse, but the probable upstaging of Man City by their big city rivals winning the league on the same day also looks like the ultimate humiliation for the mother of all cup competitions. The FA Cup will always be there like the Catholic Church, but the faithful have fallen away in recent years. Its history remains essential for an understanding of football's progress, particularly the 1883 final when Blackburn Olympic's 2-1 victory over the Ol d Etonians confirmed the preeminence of northern professionalism over southern amateurism. No other football nation had a cup competition which rivaled the league in prestige, but England could not remain an island forever. The cup began to lose its sheen in the early 1990s, n ot because the UEFA Champions League had come on strong - that would occur a few years later, but rather because Sky's domestic birth had made live football commonplace and its multi-channel television was diluting the formerly nationally unifying force of the BBC and ITV. A big reason for football's popularity in the 1950s, anyone will tell you, is that apart from the cinema there was nothing else to watch. There seems no turning back the clock with Europe's top draw absolutely dwarfing th e Cup in prize money - £31.7 million v £3.4 million , although letting the winners enter the Champions League would surely force managers to take it more seriously and probably reduce the prospect of a Portsmouth or Cardiff making it through to the final. Overseas coaches in England who just don't 'get' the magic of the FA Cup are often blamed for hastening its demise, but the lead of Arsene Wenger and others in fielding weakened teams has been gleefully copied by plenty of British managers too, worrying about three points on the Saturday and European qualification or relegation. For all the earnest efforts of rights-holders ITV to talk up 'the magic', the media voices which talk of 'capturing the imagination' grow fainter by the year and more knowingly dishonest, like ailing salesmen. Manchester City winning would confirm the curse of the second-city club is over, and a second helping of champagne for the Blues after securing Champions League qualification this week ahead of an Arab summer transfer spree. For Stoke it would be a historic first cup triumph - tell both sets of those fans it does not matter. But Manchester United winning the league half an hour before kick-off at Wembley would see the league champions and FA Cup winners going head to head in the Sunday press, a clash that usually only happens in the Charity, now Community, Shield. (c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile Tags World Cup Pens World Cup Posters Euro 2012 football

Manchester City take on Stoke City at Wembley today for the oldest prize in professional football, the FA Cup . The days of the cup final resembling the Superbowl as a national event are clearly spent, confirmed by the FA's scheduling of Premier League fixtures on the same day for the first time. Fixture congestion caused by the Champions League final on a Saturday at Wembley is a good excuse, but the probable upstaging of Man City by their big city rivals winning the league on the same day also looks like the ultimate humiliation for the mother of all cup competitions. The FA Cup will always be there like the Catholic Church, but the faithful have fallen away in recent years. Its history remains essential for an understanding of football's progress, particularly the 1883 final when Blackburn Olympic's 2-1 victory over the Ol d Etonians confirmed the preeminence of northern professionalism over southern amateurism. No other football nation had a cup competition which rivaled the league in prestige, but England could not remain an island forever. The cup began to lose its sheen in the early 1990s, n ot because the UEFA Champions League had come on strong - that would occur a few years later, but rather because Sky's domestic birth had made live football commonplace and its multi-channel television was diluting the formerly nationally unifying force of the BBC and ITV. A big reason for football's popularity in the 1950s, anyone will tell you, is that apart from the cinema there was nothing else to watch. There seems no turning back the clock with Europe's top draw absolutely dwarfing th e Cup in prize money - £31.7 million v £3.4 million , although letting the winners enter the Champions League would surely force managers to take it more seriously and probably reduce the prospect of a Portsmouth or Cardiff making it through to the final. Overseas coaches in England who just don't 'get' the magic of the FA Cup are often blamed for hastening its demise, but the lead of Arsene Wenger and others in fielding weakened teams has been gleefully copied by plenty of British managers too, worrying about three points on the Saturday and European qualification or relegation. For all the earnest efforts of rights-holders ITV to talk up 'the magic', the media voices which talk of 'capturing the imagination' grow fainter by the year and more knowingly dishonest, like ailing salesmen. Manchester City winning would confirm the curse of the second-city club is over, and a second helping of champagne for the Blues after securing Champions League qualification this week ahead of an Arab summer transfer spree. For Stoke it would be a historic first cup triumph - tell both sets of those fans it does not matter. But Manchester United winning the league half an hour before kick-off at Wembley would see the league champions and FA Cup winners going head to head in the Sunday press, a clash that usually only happens in the Charity, now Community, Shield. (c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile Tags World Cup Pens World Cup Posters Euro 2012 football

Bert Trautmann's incredible life story is covered in the book Trautmann's Journey: From Hitler Youth to FA Cup Legend by Catrine Clay (published by Yellow Jersey Press). The book can be purchased through Amazon, costing £16.99. One lucky Soccerphile reader can win a copy of the book, signed by the author, by answering this question. Bert Trautmann broke which part of his anatomy in the 1956 FA Cup Final? a) Foot b) Neck c) Ankle Contact us to email your answer with the title "Trautmann" as the subject of the email Read more about Bert Trautmann in his own words Tags Bert Trautmann Manchester City

Chelsea v Manchester City or Stoke City Fulham v Bolton Wanderers or Tottenham Hotspur Reading or West Brom v Crystal Palace or Aston Villa Portsmouth v Birmingham City (Matches to be played on March 6 and 7). Tags FA Cup football

The draw for the 5th round of the FA Cup was made yesterday. Matches will be played on the weekend of February 13-14, 2010 Bolton Wanderers v Tottenham or Leeds Utd Chelsea v Cardiff City Derby County v Birmingham City Fulham v Notts County or Wigan Manchester City v Stoke City Reading v West Brom Southampton v Portsmouth Wolves or Crystal Palace v Aston Villa Tags FA Cup football

The draw for the 4th round of the FA Cup was made yesterday. Matches will be played on the weekend of January 23-24, 2010 Accrington/Gillingham v Fulham Aston Villa v Brighton Bolton v Sheff Utd/QPR Bristol City/Cardiff v Leicester Everton v Nottm Forest/Birmingham Millwall/Derby v Brentford/Doncaster Notts County/Forest Green v Wigan Portsmouth/Coventry v Sunderland Preston v Chelsea Reading/Liverpool v Burnley Scunthorpe v Man City Southampton v Ipswich Stoke v Arsenal Tottenham v Leeds Tranmere/Wolves v Crystal Palace West Brom v Plymouth/Newcastle Tags FA Cup football

In the same week that we saw for the first time an all-English top flight match kick off with no English players or coaches involved (Portsmouth v Arsenal), the jewel in the crown of the mother of football's competitions performed its most traditionally exciting day with a whimper. The Fratton Park clash surely dispels for good any arguments that England has a problem with youth development, while the decline of the FA Cup, alive and kicking since 1872, is equally depressing. The Cup's 3rd Round, which traditionally takes place soon after New Year, is the stage where the big boys enter, which can make for mouth-watering David v Goliath clashes. There were no shocks this year, another sign of the financial chasm between the Premier League and the rest, but the sight of half-empty stadia was glaring enough for the presenters of the competition's biggest cheerleaders, ITV, to debate it on air just as they launched their station's coverage with expensive graphics and a slew of advertising. Only 12,474 paid to watch megabucks Man City's visit to Middlesbrough, while a thousand less attended Premier League Portsmouth's tie with Coventry City. When I was growing up in the 1970s and '80s the FA Cup was as prestigious a trophy as the League Championship, a uniquely English prize which set it apart from the rest of UEFA's member nations' cup competitions. Cup Final Day was the most exciting day of the football season, a Superbowl for England accompanied by ubiquitous fascination and a prize as glittering, if not more so, than winning the league itself in the eyes of fans. The minnows who raised the Cup or slew the giants, from Yeovil to Sutton United, Coventry and Wimbledon, passed into legend. Like all boys I would wake up excited on Cup Final Day and gleefully imbibe the long TV build-up with its reportages from the team hotels, coaches and rosette-bearing fans as they made their way to the shrine of the Twin Towers at Wembley. Then along came the Premier League in 1993 with its inflated marketing and the Cup almost immediately began to lose its sheen. Add the bloated 'Champions' League to the equation and the writing was on the wall for the old favourite. Winning the Cup could no longer be as important as finishing in the top four and thereby guaranteeing your income for the following season. While older generations of fans were priced out, newer ones arrived with no comprehension of the Cup's special status. Foreign coaches arrived in England equally bemused why people should take it so seriously and began to field weakened teams, with the league their big focus. What a shame. This was the oldest competition of the world's greatest sport we poisoned, a special affair whose magic lay not in two billionaire owners trying to outspend each other but in its unique ability to allow minnows a taste of greatness, a format which in theory could see a parks team of amateurs end up playing Manchester United. When my home town club Woking, a semi-professional outfit from the 7th national division won 4-2 at West Bromwich Albion in 1991 before losing 0-1 at Everton, our unmitigated ecstasy was not merely due to our humdrum home town being centre-stage, but because something impossible on paper had become reality on grass. And only the Cup could do that year after year. David v Goliath can still be thrown up by the draw, but everyone these days shrugs and backs Goliath. There are no non-league teams left in this year's competition and I think I'll skip Chelsea and Man Utd's clashes with lower-league opposition tomorrow; despite their inevitably weakened lineups the giants will still prevail. Perhaps the saddest confirmation of the Cup's toppling from its perch this week was the news that West Ham had emailed their fans, pleading with them to buy tickets for Arsenal's 3rd round visit. The Hammers beat the Gunners in one of the most memorable finals of all, the 'Cockney Cup Final' of 1980, when Trevor Brooking's header won the day for the second division team, the last time a club from outside the top flight had lifted the glittering prize. Those, indeed, were the days. (c) Sean O'Conor & Soccerphile Tags Soccer News football

Accrington Stanley or Barnet v Gillingham Aston Villa v Blackburn Rovers Blackpool v Ipswich Town Bolton Wanderers v Lincoln City Brentford v Doncaster Rovers Bristol City v Cardiff City Chelsea v Watford Everton v Carlisle United Fulham v Swindon Town Huddersfield Town v West Bromwich Albion Leicester City v Swansea City Manchester United v Kettering Town or Leeds United Middlesbrough v Manchester City MK Dons v Burnley Notts County v Forest Green Rovers Nottingham Forest v Birmingham City Plymouth Argyle v Newcastle United Portsmouth v Coventry City Preston North End v Colchester United Reading v Liverpool Scunthorpe United v Barnsley Sheffield United v QPR Sheffield Wednesday v Crystal Palace Southampton v Rotherham United or Luton Town Staines Town or Millwall v Derby County Stockport County or Torquay v Brighton Stoke City v York City Sunderland v Oxford United or Barrow Tottenham v Peterborough United Tranmere Rovers or Aldershot Town v Wolves West Ham United v Arsenal Wigan Athletic v Hull City Tags FA Cup

By Andy Greeves Cardiff City compete in their first FA Cup semi-final since 1927, when they take on Championship rivals Barnsley at Wembley next month. With only one Premiership side left in the famous old competition, never has the Welsh side had such a great chance of bringing the Cup back to Ninian Park for the first time in 81 years. While City fans are concentrating on getting tickets for the big game, the club’s board is focusing on a far greater issue - a make-or-break ruling over the club’s financial future. City’s creditors Langston are taking the Bluebirds to the High Court this week over £24m worth of unpaid loan notes, which chairman Cardiff Peter Ridsdale insists are not due to be repaid until 2016. Should the Swiss-based financier win the court case, Cardiff City would have to make immediate repayments, inevitably forcing the club, already £30m plus in debt, into administration. Cardiff City are fully aware of the precarious nature of their current position, especially given that building work is already underway on the construction of their new £29m stadium. Ridsdale admits that should City lose their legal battle, the ramifications would “materially damage the club”. The knock-on punishment for entering administration would see Cardiff stripped of 10 Championship league points, which would plunge them into the relegation zone. The financial implications of losing their fight would also bring about a mass sale of the club’s best assets. Young stars such as Joe Ledley and Aaron Ramsey would be amongst those likely to leave Ninian Park in a desperate effort to balance the books. The threat of administration has hung over Cardiff City for a number of years, a situation exacerbated by the uncertainty over repayments to Langston. Welsh international Chris Gunter was sold to Tottenham Hotspur for £3m back in January, with Cardiff claiming to be in no position to turn down the offer for one of their best players. “The bid was of the magnitude that we had to say yes”, lamented Peter Ridsdale. “It's regrettably one of the facts of life of Championship football is everybody is for sale”. Cardiff’s trips to court may not end with this week’s High Court appearance. Should City win the FA Cup, or be runners up to a Portsmouth side that finishes fifth or above in the Premiership, they would not be eligible to take a place in the UEFA Cup, open to the other remaining FA Cup sides. The English Football Association have stated on numerous occasions that they can’t nominate Cardiff for a place in Europe, on the grounds that they don't have the option to. As Cardiff City are registered with the Welsh Football Association, but play in England, they are deemed ineligable to play in European competition by UEFA, as are Swansea City and Wrexham. Peter Ridsdale has deemed the current ban on Cardiff City competing in Europe as “wholly unacceptable”. It would seem he has point, given that teams in Cardiff’s situation have recently appeared in the UEFA Cup and Champions League. For example, FC Vaduz have played in European competition, despite being a member of the Swiss league. AS Monaco have also been regular members of the UEFA Cup and Champions League, despite the fact that Monaco is an independent principality and the club plays in France. Ridsdale has vowed to take legal action to ensure City would be able to take part in the UEFA Cup next season, should they be in a position to qualify. “If we win the final and are then not put forward to the UEFACup I am sure there will be a lot of people with something to say”, he remarked in Wales’ Western Mail newspaper. “It is completely wrong that a side like Cardiff City can enter a number of mainstream competitions, yet find every avenue to Europe blocked”. Ridsdale is open to the possibility of Cardiff City having a reserve side compete in the Welsh Premier League next season, with the first team continuing to play in the English Football League in order to resolve the issue. Whether this proposal becomes reality is as uncertain as Cardiff’s future. Cardiff City’s new stadium in Leckwith is set to open at the start of the 2009/2010 season, a date by which the Bluebirds had orginally targeted a place in the Premiership. The current nucleus of talented young players and size of the club’s fanbase are reasons to suggest this target is realistic. Given the possibility of Cardiff entering administration, it is equally fesable to suggest the team could be playing in League One in 2009. By which point, they could have added another FA Cup to their honours list or finally broken back into Europe. While perilous, the next few years promise to be anything than dull for Wales’ biggest club. Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting