On May 17 I'll be watching the FA Cup final - and I'll be hoping for a Cardiff win. Actually, I'll be hoping Robbie Fowler is fit enough to play some part and that he scores the winner. It is that scenario which means I'll be a temporary Bluebird for one day only.

Since they've qualified for the final, though, I've become increasingly annoyed at the way that they wish to be considered Welsh when it is to their advantage, while expecting to be treated as English when that is in their favour. It seems grossly unfair that their geographic position can be utilised in such a manner.

First, there was the little matter of the Welsh national anthem - which the FA has agreed to play prior to kick-off. Unless my memory is failing me, traditionally God Save The Queen is played because it is the national anthem of Great Britain - which includes Wales just as much as it includes England.

'Perhaps in the future, teams from London making it to a cup final might like "Doing the Lambeth Walk" played at Wembley, or maybe "Ferry Across The Mersey" when Liverpool or Everton are involved'


I don't recall any team demanding that an English anthem is played in their honour, so why should it be different for Cardiff? Perhaps in the future, teams from London making it to a cup final might like "Doing the Lambeth Walk" played at Wembley , or maybe "Ferry Across The Mersey" when Liverpool or Everton are involved. Newcastle could have "Fog On The Tyne", though please not with Gascoigne singing!

Then, there is European qualification. The rules were quite plainly set out before the start of this and every previous season - the FA's allocation of European places would go to their members, thus disbarring the Welsh teams from qualification via their competitions. The FAW have their own competitions offering a route into Europe for their members which Cardiff have competed in and benefited from in the past, and now choose not to enter.

Of course, nobody expected any of the Welsh teams to be in a position to qualify for Europe but, now that they are, the FA have decided - under pressure - to change the rule should Cardiff win.

This is unfair to both the FAW, who are trying to establish the value of their own leagues and cups, and the English team that will miss out due to this rule change.

I agree that it would be a little unfair to see Cardiff blocked from competing in Europe should they win, but there was another route open to the FA and UEFA and one that has recent precedent.

In 2005 it seemed harsh to prevent Liverpool competing in the Champions League as reigning champions but they had not qualified via their league position. On that occasion the FA refused to bend the rules, forcing UEFA to make a wildcard slot available to them after much debate and brinkmanship. A wildcard entry for Cardiff would have been a much more appropriate course of action from the authorities.

So they want to be treated as WELSH when it comes to the anthems, and ENGLISH when it comes to Europe. Finally, to rub salt in the wounds, they are decidedly WELSH when it comes to disciplinary matters.

On Saturday their captain Darren Purse was sent off for a tackle on Burnley's Andy Cole. The resulting three-game suspension would have meant missing the FA Cup final, but on appeal the red card was overturned. Fair enough - until you consider that, as a Welsh club, they appealed to the FAW - of which they are members - and NOT the FA.

Nobody wants to see key players missing from a final - and Purse was understandably delighted with the decision. In a statement he said he felt it was correct as "there was no malicious intent". Which is great, except the presence or absence of malicious intent is completely irrelevant.

The laws of the game don't mention the words "intent" or indeed "malicious" once and, while I accept he was just over-eager in trying to recover a ball he had miscontrolled and certainly not trying to injure Cole, the end result was a horrific challenge that was high, late and studs-first. It was justifiably judged to be serious foul play by the referee and therefore he correctly sent him off.

Contentious decisions are nothing new in football, but at least they are all made by the same body - or so I thought. It might be unfair to suggest that the FAW decided to take a sympathetic approach as it involved the club captain of one of their members ahead of an unexpected cup final, but had a Portsmouth player found himself in the same boat he would not have had it reviewed by the same panel, thus raising questions about the consistency of decision-making.

Hopefully the final will be a magical day for the supporters of both teams involved and a great match for neutrals to watch. But afterwards the authorities need to look at the rules in place and the way that the Welsh teams are integrated into English competitions to ensure the fair and equal application of them for all.

It seems clear that any team competing in an English competition needs to be completely under the jurisdiction of the FA, meaning they are subject to both its disciplinary sanctions and the benefits of European qualification that would offer.