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THE FA Cup is to be moved this year from its traditional Saturday 3pm kick-off, it was announced today.
Chelsea's clash with Liverpool will now kick-off at 5.15pm instead on May 5.
It will be the first time the final will not have started at 3pm since the showpiece game has been played at Wembley.
The move could lead to yet more claims that the FA is undermining the game - which used to bring the curtain down on the English football season.
The floodlights will come into play for the first time in 19 years — the last being Arsenal's 1993 replay clash with Sheffield Wednesday on a Thursday night after a drawn Saturday match.
Chelsea have prevailed in the FA Cup three times since then, bagging the title in 2007, 2009 and 2010.
Liverpool booked their first FA Cup Final appearance in six years with a 2-1 win over Everton on Saturday, while Chelsea triumphed with a controversial 5-1 victory over Tottenham in the second semi-final yesterday.
They have never met in the final before despite making a total of 43 semi-final appearances between them.
Twitter erupted with criticism directed at the FA over the timing of the final.
Chris Steers wrote: “I'm not sure on what planet the FA think that a 5.15 Kick Off for the Cup Final is a good idea.”
TD Margaret added: “The FA Cup is becoming less and less special. Semi finals at Wembley and now the Final at 5.15 PM.”
Ross Chapman tweeted: “The FA Cup final is on 5/5 and the kick off is at 5:15” Why? It's tradition that the FA Cup final ko's at 15:00."
Mark Donovan said: “The FA: Pillaging another tradition. FA Cup final KO at 5:15. Absolute farce of an organisation.”
