Football Association chairman Lord David Triesman has made it clear that the FA Cup semi-finals will continue to be played at the new Wembley Stadium for the foreseeable future.

The former government minister also said he would look at ways to ensure more English-born players appeared for English clubs without breaking European employment law.

Traditionally, FA Cup semi-finals were played at neutral grounds within England and some observers have argued that the 'magic' of appearing at a Wembley final is devalued if the teams have already played there in the semis.

Meanwhile fresh calls were made by the Welsh sports minister for last four Cup ties to be played at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium where the FA Cup final was played from 2001-2006 while Wembley was being rebuilt.

But Triesman said that playing games at Wembley meant this season's shock semi-finalists could have 33,000 of their fans - twice the number that could be accommodated at most other grounds - present to cheer their sides on April 5 and April 6.

He also added that with the new Wembley, where the FA Cup final will take place on May 17, costing nearly £800 million, it made sense to play the semi-finals at the north London venue.

However, Triesman, who was speaking at an FA 'come-and-meet' roadshow at Cup semi-finalists Portsmouth's Fratton Park ground, said: "That's not the be-all and end-all of it.

"What I know is that the desire, particularly among clubs who don't get to Wembley that often, is for their fans to have the pleasure of an incredible day there.

"The hunger for not only their allocation, but also for more than their allocation, is evidence enough for me that people still want to go to the most iconic stadium in the world and support their team.

"In their position, so would I."

England's failure to qualify for the finals of the Euro 2008 Championships re-opened the debate about whether Premier League clubs were too reliant on foreign players.

Triesman said world football governing body FIFA's proposal for a minimum of six home players in a matchday squad, which has angered the likes of Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, was unrealistic.

"I have a very clear view that we need more players who are eligible for England in top-flight football," Triesman said.

"What is difficult about the six-plus-five proposal is that it plainly flies in the face of European employment law and I will be pushing up the daisies before that law is changed."

"But it is very worthwhile trying to discover things, though, such as whether the basic regulations of competitions can be looked at without breaching employment law."

FA Cup semi-finals

At Wembley Stadium:

Saturday, April 5

West Bromwich Albion v Portsmouth (1215GMT)

Sunday, April 6

Barnsley v Cardiff City (1600GMT)

Reuters