So what's happening about Cardiff City and the Welsh Cup? It's been well over a month since news broke that the Football Association Wales were planning the controversial move to welcome back the clubs that play in the English league set-up. It's been a long 16-year absence for the English based clubs it was the formation of the Welsh Premier League in 1995 that was the catalyst to them being forced out. At the time, the hierarchy that the FAW felt the inclusion for the English based club could be detrimental to the status of the newly formed league.
There was an attempt to bring the Welsh clubs and Cardiff City, Swansea City and the others together with the setup of the FAW Premier Cup, but without the carrot of a European place it was never going to work. The fans saw it has a failure the crowds were dismal, but it ploughed on for 11 seasons (1997/2008). BBC Wales did their best to promote the competition, games were shown live and there were highlights shown, but that didn't help. The Welsh clubs and non-league teams found prize money helpfully and tried to keep it going, but when the BBC decided cancel their sponsorship that was the end.
Before his sacking, Dave Jones said he was up for the Welsh Cup even telling the press he would use his best possible team. If the club was too re-enter the competition the door would be open for a return to European football if they win it of course. The FAW were planning to speak with UEFA and the English FA about their plans, but like the search for the new manager at Cardiff City they are taking their time about it.
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