Rochdale chairman Chris Dunphy is angry over claims from Tottenham boss Mauricio that their pitch is unplayable.

The two teams meet in the fifth round next week.

Dale chairman Dunphy said: "If a manager wants to speak to his chairman, great. He can speak to Daniel Levy but the FA run the FA Cup and not Tottenham Hotspur.

"His comments are ill-advised and unhelpful. It's not his decision. We've been in touch with the FA throughout. For the [fourth-round replay] win against Millwall, the referee was there from 9 o'clock in the morning and it's the referee who decides whether to play, not a manager.

"The pitch against Millwall was considered safe and it played rather well. How he can make comments like that when he's just looked at a picture, I just don't know."

Dunphy also claimed Pochettino's allegations of a safety issues for players were out of line.

"I'm absolutely and totally concerned with player safety and the safety of our players on the pitch," Dunphy added. "But nobody at the [Millwall] game had any concerns about the safety of the players. [Pochettino] is talking from complete ignorance."

Dunphy would not welcome switching the game to London, saying: "The FA won't be receptive to that and I won't be receptive to it. We've got a home game against Tottenham Hotspur and we will be playing it."