Why Were There Thousands Of Empty Seats At Fa Cup Semi?

Manchester City reached their 3rd consecutive FA Cup last by beating Nottingham Forest connected Sunday, but nan semi-final was played retired nan backdrop of thousands of quiet seats successful nan bluish half of Wembley.

Pep Guardiola's broadside person enjoyed an unthinkable play of occurrence and nan nine and supporters will recreation down to nan nationalist stadium arsenic a neutral venue for nan 29th clip since it was refurbished successful 2007, erstwhile they look Crystal Palace connected 17 May.

So are City victims of their ain occurrence pinch fans suffering from 'Wembley fatigue', and would a alteration of venue for nan semi-finals of nan world's oldest nine title help?

Manchester City person made Wembley their 2nd location since beating rivals Manchester United successful nan 2011 FA Cup semi-finals, earlier edging past Stoke courtesy of Yaya Toure's victor successful nan last which laid nan foundations for nan trophy-laden years that person followed.

But nan predominant trips from Manchester to London look to person taken their toll, pinch an attendance of 72,976 for Sunday's crippled astatine nan 90,000-capacity stadium.

This was City's seventh consecutive semi-final quality but - speech from nan Covid years erstwhile matches were played down closed doors - location person been occasions during that tally erstwhile nan attendance was lower, successful 2023 against Sheffield United (69,603) and Brighton successful 2019 (71,521).

The ticket-sales breakdown for nan 4 semi-finalists this twelvemonth were approximately:

Factors specified arsenic Nottingham Forest having a singular season, Crystal Palace being based successful London and Aston Villa's buoyant squad chasing silverware nether Unai Emery tin beryllium taken into information for those numbers.

Reaching Wembley does not hap excessively often for astir clubs and supporters relish a imaginable once-in-a-lifetime time retired there.

One script would beryllium to springiness nan tickets away, but location is simply a equilibrium to beryllium struck betwixt keeping them connected waste until nan past infinitesimal for fans to acquisition them, against nan thought of distributing them among group successful nan section area for free.

The logistics of doing that successful specified a short abstraction of clip are not straightforward.

Manchester City supporters person pointed retired nan value of tickets, ranging from £30 to £150, nan costs of recreation down to London, buying nutrient and portion and a Sunday kick-off astatine 16:30 BST arsenic nan awesome factors for nan number of quiet seats.

Kevin Parker, wide caput of City's charismatic supporters' club, told BBC Sport: "It is an costly time retired and erstwhile you person done it 25 aliases 30 times, location are decisions you person to return successful position of nan cost.

"Our grounds successful nan FA Cup nether Guardiola has been unbelievable, but fans - without disrespect to Nottingham Forest - are hoping to beryllium reasonably assured we will play successful nan final. Those games are only 3 weeks apart. People do person to make a financial choice."

Those who were successful attendance joyously celebrated triumph pinch their 'Poznan' dance, while Guardiola took nan adulation of nan travelling supporters.

"You could spot nan passion wrong nan supporters aft beating Nottingham Forest, but 'Wembley fatigue' is simply a bully measurement of describing really we consciousness astir nan day," says Parker.

"It is simply a agelong time for travel, nan further disbursal and having activity aliases schoolhouse nan adjacent day. It is inconvenient to play astatine 4:30pm connected a Sunday."

Some City fans are planning further protests during nan Premier League crippled against Wolves astatine Etihad Stadium connected Friday complete what they opportunity is nan club's refusal to summation nan number of season-ticket holders.

But Parker said nan non-sale of tickets for nan semi-final was "not a instrumentality protest" and nan quiet seats had "nothing to do pinch that".

The charismatic supporters' group has 400 branches worldwide and Parker said it already had summons applications from places specified arsenic Thailand, Iraq, Australia and nan United States for nan final.

There person besides been calls to move semi-finals distant from Wembley to different neutral venue.

"One time possibly nan FA Cup will beryllium played present successful nan north," City leader Guardiola said successful his pre-match news convention connected Friday.

"They will travel present to Old Trafford aliases [the] Etihad aliases Anfield aliases Goodison Park. I understand nan people, I'm not nan personification to say.

"All astir nan world group suffer economically and I understand wholly it's not easy for them."

Nick Clarke, a laminitis of nan MCFC Fans Foodbank Support, told BBC Sport that City are "a bluish club" and it is simply a 400-mile information travel for fans.

Clarke said he was "out of pocket" for nan outing arsenic he booked a 16-seater minibus for £850 which was only taken up by 12 people, while his summons costs £45 and nan full for nutrient and portion was £60.

BBC Sport asked City fans their thoughts pinch Steve saying semi-finals astatine Wembley return nan "aura" distant astir those matches, Andrew asking for a "geographically sensible ground", while Ian said nan costs "mount up".

However, Wembley is nan location of nan semi-finals and tin accommodate nan top number of fans for nan clubs competing successful nan past four.

Sources opportunity talk of a neutral ground, opportunity successful nan north, is easy to mention but difficult to organise because April is simply a engaged play for Premier League clubs who mightiness big nan semi-finals.