The BBC was in discussions with the Football Association yesterday about how to make it easier to choose the most exciting FA Cup fixtures to broadcast live.

The broadcaster received criticism for not showing Bradford’s shock 2-0 victory over Sunderland in the FA Cup fifth round on Sunday, electing instead to put on Aston Villa’s 2-1 victory over Leicester, with many on social media voicing their anger at the decision.

An early day motion was put forward in January by George Galloway, and backed by members of the Labour party, after the Bantam’s knocked-out Chelsea at Stamford Bridge with these talks further highlighting the opportunity once again missed by the BBC.

Had that game been televised, Bradford would have scooped an extra £250,000.

BBC football editor Mark Cole said in a statement: “As the game unfolded yesterday at Valley Parade, we shared the frustration of fans and would have loved to have been broadcasting the match live.

“It’s everything the FA Cup and our new comprehensive coverage is about. We are speaking to the FA about whether we can change this in the future, but understand it’s tricky for them.

“Clubs understandably want to get plans for ticketing, policing and fans in place without waiting for 10 days for TV companies to confirm their selections.

“But we hope there’s a middle ground where we can get a little more flexibility to ensure we have as much chance as possible of capturing cup classics like yesterday.”