Crystal Palace Keeps the Magic of the Cup Alive—Despite the FA’s Betrayal

To an outsider, the special place the FA Cup final holds (notice the use of the past tense) in English hearts and minds is perhaps hard to understand. It seems almost quaint to a US audience accustomed to the Super Bowl and World Series. 

But the FA Cup Final wasn’t just a tradition but an institution—a national ritual to which you could set your watch. It was held on the last Saturday of the season, at 3 p.m., at Wembley Stadium. 

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This year, Crystal Palace’s heroic and historic triumph—securing the club’s first significant honour in its 164-year history—should have been the story to stir the soul of a football-mad nation. And yet, the reaction has been little more than a polite smile.

The FA’s decision to allow the FA Cup final to occur before the end of the domestic season is a massive blow to the game's prestige. Once the final stood alone, commanding the nation’s attention, it was shunted between Premier League fixtures on Friday and Sunday.

With the Premier League’s powerful branding and blanket media coverage, it’s hardly a surprise that this ancient competition now struggles to compete. The main narrative in English football remains the race for the top five, and with it, Champions League football. Given the financial rewards and global exposure this brings, that focus is understandable.

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Still, there’s something deeply dispiriting about the fact that finishing a quarter of the way down the league is deemed more noteworthy than climbing those famous steps at Wembley to lift the FA Cup.

I suspect, however, that I know what the thousands of Crystal Palace fans who were at Wembley yesterday would prefer.

A Fond Farewell to an Old Favourite

Each Premier League season seems to bring the curtain down on one of English football’s storied old grounds. This year, it was Goodison Park’s turn.

While the stadium will continue to host Everton Women’s matches, this weekend marked the final men’s fixture at one of the game’s significant landmarks.

Justin Setterfield – The FA/The FA/Getty Images)

A cornerstone of English football for well over a century, Goodison has seen it all—FA Cup semi-finals, finals, and even World Cup matches in 1966. And for fans, a stadium is far more than bricks and mortar. It’s memory, identity, and community.

It will be an emotional farewell for Evertonians. Yet, with financial issues now seemingly stabilised and David Moyes back at the helm, the club can be optimistic as it prepares to open a new chapter in a new home.

Ninety Minutes to Save Their Seasons—And Possibly Their Jobs

Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur fans endured two more lacklustre performances as both teams’ dire domestic seasons limped one step closer to a close. Both teams have one league fixture remaining—at home next Sunday.

Next Sunday's fixture for one of these clubs will be a celebration—a special homecoming for conquering heroes, hope renewed afresh for August. For the other, it will mark the sad culmination of a catastrophic campaign, with brutal recriminations to follow that could echo for many months.

Everything hinges on Wednesday night in Bilbao, when United and Spurs meet in the Europa League Final. The stakes are massive—not just silverware but the future direction of both clubs and their embattled managers.

Tottenham have already beaten United three times this season, but with three key players injured, Ruben Amorim’s side enters the final as favourites.

Anything could happen. But one thing’s certain—the result will carry consequences far beyond which team gets to bring the trophy back to England.