Carabao Cup third round draw to take place in China at 4:15am UK time

The Carabao Cup was subjected to further ridicule on Monday after the EFL announced Thursday’s third-round draw - featuring the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal - would take place at 4.15am.

The EFL confirmed the draw for one of the rounds of this season’s newly-rebranded competition would take place in the Far East for the second time, this time in Beijing, China, at approximately 11.15am local time.

It also revealed the draw would not be televised live following the chaos to have engulfed those for the opening two rounds, with the first - in sponsor Carabao’s native Thailand - seeing Charlton Athletic appear on screen twice, as well as being beset by audio problems.

This month’s second-round draw also saw John Salako call out Brentford as having an away tie, despite the colour of the ball signifying they would be playing at home.

The timing and location of the third-round draw, which sees the entry into the competition of clubs involved in this season’s Champions League and Europa League, was widely mocked on social media, prompting the EFL to defend its decision.

A spokesman said: “We understand that not everyone will agree on the timing of this week’s round-three draw, but in staging in this way, it will give the competition both the maximum exposure in the UK, Chinese and Southeast Asian markets.

“This is not only an important factor for the EFL but also our new sponsors Carabao, who, like ourselves, plan to use the growing global appeal of the competition to reach new audiences.

“Once the logistics have been completed in Beijing, the UK will be waking up and the breakfast media will be able to report and get reaction on the 16 ties that will take place next month, which we feel is an interesting move away from the usual post-game evening draws.”

The draws have not been the only problem to dog the competition, with the EFL forced abandon the use of goal-line technology in several ties due to the system having not been properly tested at its grounds under floodlights.