The Football Association has announced plans to play all four FA Cup quarter-finals back-to-back on the same day. Each match, on Sunday 10 March, 2002, would be shown live on television, with kick-off times (BST) at 1130, 1300, 1600 and 1900.

The BBC is expected to have the first choice of the four ties, to be screened at 1900, as well as the fourth-choice tie at 1300.

BSkyB will show the second-choice match at 1600 and the third-choice game at 1130.

Police advice

FA spokesman Adrian Bevington said: "We believe that the FA Cup is the most magical cup competition in football.

"What we are intending to do is to provide the platform whereby as many people as possible can see these quarter-final fixtures.

"That is something which we believe football supporters will welcome.

"Historically, these games all took place on the same day. We would like an opportunity for that to happen again."

The timing of the matches cannot be confirmed until the quarter-final line-up is known as it is possible that two clubs from the same city could be drawn at home.

This would almost certainly result in the police advising that one of the matches be played the day before.

-- Anonymous, August 21, 2001

Answers

"Historically, these games all took place on the same day. We would like an opportunity for that to happen again."

What a great idea, what about 3 o'clock on a Saturday, thet would be a brilliant idea.

-- Anonymous, August 21, 2001

never catch on Mac

-- Anonymous, August 21, 2001

Historically, these games all took place on the same day. We would like an opportunity for that to happen again.

What gross hypocrisy. There is certainly no God. He should have been struck down by lightning the moment he said that.

Why not just say "We expect to make a huge financial killing doing it this way".

-- Anonymous, August 21, 2001