FA chiefs have been urged to “reconsider” its partnership with gambling company bet365.
The Football Association have come under fire for a tie-up with the bookmaker which meant bet365 streamed 23 FA Cup third round matches last weekend.
Armchair viewers could only watch the games if they placed a bet or opened an account which has led to accusations of double standards by the FA.
Kick off times in all third round ties were delayed by one minute to publicise the FA’s “Heads Up” campaign - backed by Prince William - which is at odds with the bet365 tie-up because of links between gambling and mental health.
Nicky Morgan, the secretary of state for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said: "This is a contractual matter for the FA and bet365 but things have moved on since the contract was signed and I hope they will re-consider."
The FA, which has previously pulled out of a sponsorship deal with Ladbrokes, signed a six-year deal with sports media company IMG in January 2017 and the deal kicked in from the 2018/19 season.
The FA has said that it will review how it sells this element of its media rights in the next cycle starting in 2024-25, but is understood to have little room for manoeuvre in terms of exiting the deal with IMG and bet365 early.
Gary Lineker, one of the main presenters of the BBC's FA Cup coverage, tweeted: "This is all kinds of wrong. Sort it FA.”
Malcolm Clarke, the chairman of the Football Supporters' Association, said: "This deal highlights the major concerns fans have about the growth of gambling in football - governing bodies need to take these concerns seriously.
"Through our partnership with GambleAware, we are taking real steps to promote safer gambling in football and we call on the FA to get around the table on the issue.
"There is much more to be done to protect fans from the risks of gambling."
