Ryan Reynolds & Rob McElhenney’s European dream dashed! FA blocks Wrexham from joining revamped Welsh League Cup to compete for UEFA Conference League qualification
Wrexham and three other Welsh clubs in the English pyramid have been blocked from competing for European football by playing in the Welsh League Cup.
Wrexham owners Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds were keen on their club participating in the revamped competition, which has been granted a Conference League qualification spot, while Cardiff City, Swansea City and Newport County were also part of the proposals. However, the English FA has declared that the four clubs must continue to operate under the rules of the pyramid they have chosen to play in.
Had the proposals been allowed to move forward, each of the four clubs would have forfeited the ability to qualify for European football via the English competitions – but would have regained that right had they won promotion to the Premier League. Swansea were the last Welsh side to play in Europe after they won the English League Cup in 2013, while Wrexham were the last team to qualify via a Welsh competition when they won the 1995 Welsh Cup.
In a statement, the FA said: “Following careful consideration, taking into account various factors including equal opportunity for clubs to participate in the same competitions, for the same rewards on an equal basis; concerns raised by stakeholders regarding competition integrity, fixture congestion and player welfare, and the impact on the standing of existing competitions, the FA board has rejected the request. It was noted that it is open to the Welsh clubs to choose whether or not to participate in the English or Welsh system based on their own assessment of the relative merits of participation in each system, but if they choose to participate in the English system they must do so on the same basis as the English clubs which participate in that system.”
McElhenney and Reynolds have long stated their ambition to lead Wrexham into the Premier League, with the club having already won two promotions from the National League to League One under their ownership. With Cardiff and Swansea currently residing in the Championship, all three clubs will have their eye on promotion to the top tier after their alternative route into Europe was blocked. Newport are currently in League Two, three promotions away from the top flight.
