Bradford boss Ryan Sparks called the situation “a mess”
Bradford boss Ryan Sparks says it is “a shame” they have to repeat their first-round FA Cup draw in Exeter after Greece replaced a sixth player Game on tuesday.
According to FA Cup rules, teams are not allowed to make more than five changes in a tie, including overtime.
Josh Key replaced Sam Nombe for extra time and the hosts won 3-0 after a goalless 90 minutes.
“It’s a mess,” Sparks told Radio Leeds.
“The whole situation is an embarrassment for the game and the FA.
“In this situation we are the losers, both financially and logistically. They will hide behind the fact that we were put back into a competition from which we might not have been eliminated in the first place.
“It was treated with so little respect. I find it contradicting that the FA, which takes pride in the magic of the competition and wants us to maintain its integrity, and there are people who can’t even count.” .. It really is a shame.
“The five people involved will do their job unscathed over the weekend, while we plan another 600-mile round-trip for Tuesday evening, which we will pay for.
“At least that game should be repeated in the Valley Parade.”
The game will now be played again on Tuesday, November 30th at St. James Park (19:45 GMT).
A Investigation by the FA’s Professional Game Board decided that “the outcome of the game should not -ply”.
“The PGB considered it the most -propriate measure to repeat the game in full,” said a statement from the football association.
Tuesday’s game was already a replay after the League Two teams drew 1-1 at the Utilita Energy Stadium in Bradford on November 6th.
The winners will travel to Cambridge United for the second round on Saturday, December 4th.
“It’s an honest mistake”
The introduction of Josh Key at the start of renewal in place of Sam Nombe was Exeter City’s sixth change
Exeter City manager Matt Taylor said he and his staff had been told by match officials that if all five changes were made within 90 minutes, they could use a sixth substitute in overtime.
The decision to repeat the tie means not only a 600-mile round-trip ticket for Bradford in 10 days, but also that the Greeks will be playing twice a week for the next four weeks, with the game of P -a John’s Trophy against Portsmouth is due on the end of the month is postponed to mid-December.
“We all thought we could use a sixth sub in overtime, we did so later, but it turned out the decision was wrong and we shouldn’t have done that,” Taylor told Sport.
“Bradford tried to make a sixth substitution and it was denied. So it had a strange chain of events and no one knew what had h -pened until it was shown on the referee’s team sheet long after the game.”
Taylor was first notified in the wee hours of Wednesday morning that there might be a problem and the FA opened an investigation later that day.
“I should have done more due diligence as a manager, it’s my responsibility,” he added.
“In the pre-match and during-match meetings with the officials, the information we were given was incorrect so I think we’re still in the competition because we haven’t tried to defraud the system.
“It’s an honest mistake and not only did we make that mistake, but we feel the brunt of that responsibility because we were ultimately punished.”
Bradford manager Derek Adams declined to comment on the FA’s decision to replay the game but confirmed the red card shown to striker Lee Angol during the game stands.
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