Wrexham see European hopes squashed as Welsh clubs barred from new competition | OneFootball

Wrexham's hopes of competing in Europe have been dashed after the Football Association (FA) on Friday blocked attempts to allow Welsh clubs playing in the English leagues to participate in the Welsh League Cup.

The new-look Welsh League Cup has been granted a Conference League qualification spot by Uefa and the Football Association of Wales (FAW) had wanted the EFL's Wales clubs – Wrexham, Cardiff City, Swansea City and Newport County – to participate.

However, the English FA board has rejected the proposal.

A statement from the FA read: "The FA board has considered a request made by four Welsh clubs to take part in a restructured version of the FAW League Cup which would provide an opportunity to qualify for UEFA competition.

"As part of the request, the Welsh clubs would forfeit their existing right to qualify for UEFA club competitions through the English system whilst they remained members of the EFL.

"The Welsh clubs would then seek to qualify for UEFA competition via the English system should they be promoted to the Premier League.

"As a result of the request, the FA undertook a thorough consultation with stakeholders and invited submissions from the Welsh clubs.

"Following careful consideration, taking into account various factors including equal opportunity for clubs to participate in the same competitions, for the same rewards on an equal basis; concerns raised by stakeholders regarding competition integrity, fixture congestion and player welfare, and the impact on the standing of existing competitions, the FA board has rejected the request.

"It was noted that it is open to the Welsh clubs to choose whether or not to participate in the English or Welsh system based on their own assessment of the relative merits of participation in each system, but if they choose to participate in the English system they must do so on the same basis as the English clubs which participate in that system."

Wrexham fans look unlikely to see their side in Europe any time soon (Getty Images)

The move would potentially have given Wrexham and the other England-based clubs an additional source of revenue and exposure, and in effect a financial advantage over their EFL rivals.

Wrexham were the last Welsh side playing in the EFL to play in Europe via success in a Welsh competition in 1995-96, having won the previous season's Welsh Cup.

Since then, Swansea have competed in continental competition after winning the 2013 English League Cup.

The FAW declined to comment, but sources close to the governing body felt it was a lost opportunity to improve Welsh football at all levels, including funding for the female and grassroots game in the country.