Simon Parker column

News that Lyon won the French Cup last week is hardly ground-breaking.

But did you know that the team they beat in the final are from the third division?

Giant-killers Quevilly dumped Marseille on the way to Paris, where they put up a decent fight to go down 1-0.

Now just imagine if that scenario had happened over here.

Say, for example, Sheffield Wednesday were preparing to play Chelsea at Wembley today.

How would the fixture list have coped thanks to the dim-witted decision to clash the final with the last weekend of Leagues One and Two?

All games on the last day have to kick off at the same time to avoid giving some teams an advantage. So that would have meant shifting every match in the division.

It would have been a complete farce – just like the idea of clashing the fixtures in the first place.

That shows a total disregard for fans of the 48 clubs beneath the Championship; fans who have just as much right to watch the cup final as those of Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United or whoever.

The FA Cup, we’re constantly reminded, has lost none of its magic. It’s still the special day on the domestic football calendar.

Yeah, right. Try telling that to those of us who won’t see much – if any – of the game today.

Those in power will ignore the whinges of the “small club” supporters. What have teams in the bottom two divisions got to do with the final anyway?

That’s probably what they thought in France.