The Football League asked you to get up at 4.15am and then took 53 minutes to reveal the League Cup draw

The early bird catches the draw | James Huang, Carabao China chief executive, and EFL chief executive Shaun Harvey conduct today’s draw which began at 4.36am UK time
Xiaolu Chu/Getty Images
Giuseppe Muro24 August 2017

The decision to hold the draw for the third round of the Carabao Cup in Beijing at 4.15am UK time was seen as the latest low for the newly-rebranded competition.

And the EFL were subjected to further ridicule this morning, when the proceedings took 53 minutes to complete after the draw had started late, as bleary-eyed fans had to wait to see who their team would face.

The draws for the League Cup have been beset with problems this season and, while today’s appeared to pass without more blunders, the delay drew yet more criticism.

The draw, which saw Champions League and Europa League clubs enter the competition, was not screened on television and could be followed live only on Twitter.

But there was no update on the Carabao Cup feed for more than 10 minutes after the draw’s scheduled start time. As supporters who woke up early waited to check social media, the draw began 21 minutes late.

It then took a painstaking 32 minutes for 16 ties to confirmed and everything was completed at 5.08am UK time. The draw for the third round of the FA Cup last season - featuring 32 ties - took nine-and-a-half minutes.

The latest criticism follows the chaos that engulfed the draws for the opening two rounds.

In the first-round draw - held in Thailand, the home of sponsor Carabao — Charlton were drawn out twice and it was also beset by audio problems. The second-round draw was then branded a “shambles” after the EFL announced four ties had been drawn incorrectly.

Charlton manager Karl Robinson, speaking before his side were knocked out by Norwich on Tuesday after he had made nine changes to his side, said: “If they want me to start taking the competition seriously, then they need to take the draw seriously.”

The EFL were forced to defend their decision to hold the draw in the Far East. They say it was made as part of their “strategic plan to grow the EFL internationally and specifically boost profile and exposure”.

But the draw was not televised live in China and there was has been little interest in the Carabao Cup in Asia.

Cameron Wilson, founding editor of Wild East Football, a Shanghai-based website about the game, said: “There has not really been any interest in the Chinese public that I have noticed. It is really strange, I cannot make head nor tail of it.

“If they are not putting it on TV in China, it seems to me it does not matter where it takes place? It is quite strange. I do not think anyone is China has paid much attention.

“In China, fans are just interested in your Manchester Uniteds and Barcelonas. The English League Cup is not something people pay much attention to or are interested in. I am not sure what they are hoping for.”

The EFL say the draw started late because a series of presentations before it began. They claim the draw was completed in “normal time”.

An EFL spokesperson said today: “This morning’s draw was the culmination of really positive and successful few days for the EFL in Asia as we look to further establish ourselves and our clubs in the region.

“Our events were well attended and we were able to participate in a number of potentially significant meetings. We will now return to the UK, report back and look to develop the work over the coming weeks and months.”

The EFL have no plans to hold future draws in Asia but it is understood they have not ruled out returning to the Far East again. It is understood they believe their decision to go to China has been a success as part of the strategy to grow their brand internationally.

But Wilson, speaking to BBC Radio 5Live, said: “If you look on Chinese sport websites they have got sections dedicated to the Premier League, the Bundesliga, La Liga and so on, but the English Football League or the League Cup is much lower down the pecking order. So I do not see much coming from it.”

The six London clubs in the third round were all drawn at home.

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