I've been puzzling over this for a few days, ever since reading about the FAW rescinding Darren Purse's red card against Q.P.R. As Bluebird seems to be online, perhaps he knows the answer. Cardiff play in the English league but as the F.A. deal with disciplinary matters, they have to deal with them in situations as the one mentioned at the start of this post. However, what would happen if they were to win promotion to the Premier League? As I understand it, the English F.A. run this league, it was certainly them that set it up. Would Cardiff have to make moves to come under the banner of the English F.A. & if they do, could they still remain members of the Welsh F.A.?
To my knowledge, no, Cardiff wouldn't have to become members of the FA because they (along with Swansea, Wrexham and I believe Newport) have a special dispensation because we have been within FA-run competitions for many, many years. We were invited by the FA to join the League system in the early 1900's as there was no professional League structure within Wales. The FAW is one of the original governing bodies of UEFA and FIFA and that's why UEFA allow them to adjudicate decisions regarding us, believing they have the nous and experience to deal with their own clubs. UEFA obviously have no idea how inadequate and amateur the FAW is. The FAW won't even let us into their own cup competition, the Welsh Cup (the oldest cup comp. in the world and which we've won 20-odd times) to protect their status as an independant governing body - they now make entry available to League of Wales clubs only. As far as I'm concerned personally, it's ridiculous as we only play in FA competitions but are under the jurisdiction of the FAW. We should come under the control of the FA - and when this was raised as a possibility a few years ago by Peter Ridsdale we had our first-ever red card overturned. Suprise, suprise.
Fair enough I was curious as to how it would work should you win promotion to the Premier League. I knew that the 4 major Welsh clubs played in the English league system & had done since time imemorial but wondered how it would work with the Premier League due to that being a relatively recent change to the league system & it being administered seperately.
No probs ...the question has been raised before with the FA (by Sam Hammam) and, yes, we would be admitted to the PL - in the unlikely event of us ever challenging for it. There was a similar bit of controversy last year when we got to the Cup Final. If we won it, how could we be put forward by the FA to represent them in Europe? Michel Platini stepped in and it transpired we would be allowed to play in Europe. How would that look to the other FA member clubs when a non-member was forwarded as their representatives? The FAW could have avoided all of that by nominating us as their representatives - as they could do every year. You don't have to win the cup ( FA Cup or Welsh Cup), it's down to the governing body who they put forward in each competition. But it's obviously common practice, and rightly so, that the winners are nominated. However, the FAW chose not to as it would undermine their own "league" and status within UEFA. It's laughable. There have been 6 English winners of the Welsh Cup btw.