The Football Association of Wales (FAW) have been forced to defend the integrity of the Welsh Cup after concerns were raised over a ‘leaked’ draw.
Details of some fixtures for the last 16 of the association’s flagship competition emerged on social media earlier this week.
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Now one Welsh top-flight club has called into question the credibility of the process after it emerged the fourth round draw was held more than 48 hours before it was broadcast online on Thursday night.
The Welsh Cup – football’s third oldest competition having been held since 1877 – has held pre-recorded draws for a number of seasons, with an ‘as live’ show then streamed on the FAW’s own platforms.
But it appears not all were aware of the format, prompting criticism from fans and one of the remaining Cymru Premier clubs in the competition.
Flint Town United said they were «appalled that speculation on social media since Tuesday has proved correct, with regards to the integrity of the draw».
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Former winners Flint were paired with Penybont, the highest ranked side remaining in the fourth round, and chairman Darryl Williams added: «If it is indeed the case that the draw actually took place on Tuesday then its integrity is entirely undermined.
«A recorded draw can be halted/changed, draws are live to maintain credibility and honesty.»
The FAW says it will investigate the leaking of the fixtures – only some of which were correct – but has defended how it conducts its draws for both the Welsh Cup and the Welsh Women’s Cup, which took place at the same time.
It involves an independent presenter and external guests – on this occasion a sponsor and official from an eliminated club – as well as an FAW Council member, with a member of administration staff from the FAW’s competitions department also present.
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Costs and resources are said to restrict the ability of producing a fully-live draw show, although chief executive Noel Mooney said this was something the FAW would «review» as he responded on social media to criticism.
It is not unique for draws to be held prior to an embargoed release, or to be not shown live. Fixtures for the early rounds of the FA Cup in England are released in full after the draw is made, while the Irish FA also hold pre-recorded draws for their cup competitions.
Following the same process for all its national cup competitions, the FAW says the pre-recording «allows all draws…to be given an equal platform from the earliest qualifying rounds to the semi-finals» with the result that «high quality production elements can be added to provide the best viewing experience».
An FAW statement continued: «This allows graphics, draw recaps and video packages telling stories from clubs across the country in addition to all clubs get to see their name drawn out of the bowl.
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«On this occasion, the draw has disappointingly been leaked ahead of its broadcast, which has undermined the excitement of what was an interesting draw with the remaining teams.
«Once a draw is complete, ties are shared under a strict embargo to a small number of parties to aid with logistical planning. With this embargo being broken, the FAW is investigating this matter in an attempt to understand how this has occurred.»
