• FA Cup final

Pulis and Redknapp hit out at FA Cup final treatment

Manchester City will take on Stoke City in the FA Cup final on Saturday and ESPN is the place to be for unrivalled coverage, starting with Breakfast at Wembley at 8am and commercial-free match coverage

Ahead of his side's trip to Wembley for the FA Cup final, Stoke boss Tony Pulis has slammed the decision to play Premier League games on the same day as the showpiece event.

Stoke will face Manchester City in what will be their first FA Cup final appearance, but rather than dominating the day - the clash will come after four Premier League games, one of which could see Manchester United clinch the title.

The Champions League final takes place at Wembley this year and UEFA has demanded a two-week period when the stadium is not touched - which has resulted in Premier League games taking place on the same day as the FA Cup final.

A host of leading figures in the game have hit out at the decision, Stoke boss Pulis among them.

"It's traditionally a special game on its own at the end of the season, but it's not so this year. I think it's totally wrong," Pulis said.

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp has joined the chorus disapproval, suggesting the officials should have found a way to "respect" the FA Cup.

"It is nothing but a scandal that Premier League games are being played on Saturday - the same day as the final this season," Redknapp wrote in his column in The Sun. "It's now just another match. Not the showpiece at the end of the season that meant so much, not just to football supporters but to the whole country.

"The Cup final must contend with the prospect of Manchester United winning the Premier League a few minutes before the match even kicks off at Wembley. There are crunch relegation matches at lunchtime, too. How has it come to this?

"Yes, I know the Champions League final is at Wembley on May 28. I am told UEFA demands a 'clean' stadium for the fortnight before the big event. That means an empty Wembley for two weeks.

"But surely this Saturday could have been kept clear of Premier League games out of respect for the oldest cup competition in the world. Instead it is now sandwiched between a packed programme of Premier League games, two weeks before the Champions League final."

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