NO FA CUP FOR MAN UNITED

MANCHESTER United confirmed on Wednesday they have pulled out of the 1999/2000 FA Cup. The decision means they will now participate in FIFA’s inaugural World Club Championship in Brazil next January without fixture congestion. In a statement the club said: “We realise that many of our supporters will be as disappointed as we are with our decision not to compete in the FA Cup.” The English Football Association offered to exempt the FA Cup holders from the competition in a bid to persuade them to play in the FIFA World Team Championship and so help England’s 2006 World Cup bid. That left United in a no-win situation, knowing that they would disappoint their fans if they agreed to pull out of the FA Cup and disappoint the FA and the Government if they refused to play in Brazil. Nonetheless the decision was immediately unpopular with fans.