The Football Association are remaining coy over comments by Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp that he will field his weakest possible team in the FA Cup. Redknapp won the FA Cup with Portsmouth last year but has already admitted the competition is well down his list of priorities as Spurs face a relegation battle.

That could be construed as a contravention of competition rules, which state that clubs must play to their full strength.

Rule 15a reads: "Each team participating in a match shall represent the full available strength of each competing club."

However, Redknapp is entitled to use his squad as he feels necessary, even if he could face criticism for devaluing the FA Cup.

An FA spokesman said: "Undoubtedly Tottenham will be selecting a team from their first-team squad."