We’re the famous Man United and we’re going to Wembley… but the FA have yet to confirm the date of our semi-final tie against Coventry City.
This will only raise the argument that the semi-finals should be played a neutral grounds because they don’t seem to take fans not living in London into account when it comes to the FA Cup.
We’ve had days of uncertainty surrounding the FA Cup semi-final date, but the Daily Mail has shined some light on the situation. The newspaper claims the FA have been forced to bring forward the kick-off time for next month’s FA Cup semi-final between United and Coventry after the Metropolitan Police deemed it to be a ‘high risk’ fixture.
The second FA Cup semi-final is set to kick-off at 3.30 pm on Sunday 21 April, with Man City vs Chelsea kicking off at 5.15 pm on the Saturday of that weekend.
However, it is understood that the FA initially requested a 4 pm kick-off for United vs Coventry, but following talks with the Met have agreed to start the game half-an-hour earlier after the police expressed public order concerns.
The "high-risk" factor is more the fact the police don't want Chelsea fans all over London on the day of the Marathon, is what I've heard.
— Cheeses Of Nazareth (@OhCheesesChrist) March 22, 2024
Why on earth did they decide to play the FA Cup semi-finals on the same weekend as the London Marathon if it was going to cause problems with match arrangements? Moreover, I don’t think the London Marathon is a good enough excuse but the entire situation is a farce.
The report adds that a decision is expected to be confirmed at a meeting of the local Safety Advisory Group later today.
Fans deserve better and some of us have wasted money on flights and trains to London on the Saturday.
More when the FA bother to update us. *Sigh*
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