In light of the problems that both Liverpool and Man City fans face in terms of travel arrangements ahead of the FA Cup semi final at Wembley, we ask, do the FA really care about fans?

The simple answer to the question is no. But why is that?

Building works

The first reason is the fact that the FA knew about the scheduled building works on the railway line since 2019.

They have had plenty of time to think of an alternative venue considering the likelihood that a team from the north west would make this stage.

Both teams and the Labour party have asked the FA to move the game up north.

This is the easiest solution and there are many grounds that are suitable or hosting such an event.

Villa Park and the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, where the reds last won the FA Cup in 2006 fit the bill.

The fact that the FA probably know there are suitable grounds near Liverpool and Manchester makes the decision to keep the match at Wembley even more confusing.

Money

The second reason is money, which will always be a massive factor in football no matter what.

The reason why the semi finals are held at Wembley is to help the FA pay off the debts they still have from the Wembley rebuild.

No matter what money gets thrown around, the fact is fans will have to pay more money for coaches and alternative travel to Wembley.

That is on top of their ticket prices which can be classed as overpriced but it remains to be seen how much tickets are priced at.

Manchester City have recently tweeted that they have secured an initial 50 coaches for the semi final against the reds, which still isn’t enough.

Scheduling

The third and final reason is the scheduling.

Not just for this match in particular, in fact, the scheduling of the semi final shows the wider problem the FA have, which is not caring about fans in terms of kick off times and what part of the country the game is in.

An example of this was a couple of weeks ago when Liverpool played Brighton in the early kick off on the Saturday, fans getting up at 4am to get on the coaches.

This was followed by an away trip to Arsenal on Wednesday which kicked off at 8:15pm on a school and work night.

It isn’t the first time the FA have been criticised for their scheduling of fixtures, with many managers having problems which are caused by discussions with TV companies to make sure as many people as possible watch the games.

It remains to be seen whether the FA change their minds, but it is very unlikely.

Featured image credited to WikiMedia

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