The mayors of the cities of Liverpool and Manchester have requested that the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Manchester City change its venue, from Wembley to another stadium, due to the lack of trains to London.
The match will be played the weekend of April 16-17 at Wembley Stadiumbut, due to some renovation work, no trains from Manchester and Liverpool to London from April 15-18.
The Mayor of Manchester, Andy Burnhamand that of Liverpool, Steve Rotheramhave asked in a letter to the English federation that a stadium be chosen “more accessible to fans” and that does not involve having to drive, fly, complex train journeys or overpay for accommodation.
“With the rise in fuel prices, it is clear that the fans of both teams will have to bear great costs, in addition to the environmental impact that will be greater. For the last two years, we have heard the slogan ‘football is nothing without the fans’ “If the decision is to play at Wembley, those words will have no meaning,” the mayors said in the letter.
“We think the most obvious solution is to move the game to a more accessible stadium.”
As the mayors explained in the letter, the works on the railway network had been scheduled since 2019 and that the FA had been aware of it since last autumn and, despite this, they placed the match that weekend.
Traditionally, the semi-finals and final of the FA Cup have been played in a single match at Wembley. The other semifinal will be played by two teams from the capital, Crystal Palace y Chelsea.