Manchester City fans don’t owe you sold-out stadiums – Football fans should do better! | OneFootball

Manchester City fans don’t owe you sold-out stadiums. Attending football matches has never been more expensive, and opposition supporters are picking fights with the wrong people.

There was a sense of déjà vu on Sunday afternoon, as the usual suspects poked fun at Manchester City fans for their reduced attendance during the FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest.

Judging by the reaction of most, you’d be mistaken for thinking Moonbeam, Liam Gallagher, and Pete the Badge were the only Blues in the stands.

Alas, thousands upon thousands of City fans made the annual pilgrimage to the capital for what was the club’s 30th trip to Wembley Stadium in 15 years. Just compute that for a second. It works out at two visits to the national stadium per season for the last decade and a half.

That’s without accounting for the fact that two Community Shield matches (2012 and 2023) weren’t hosted at Wembley when they otherwise would’ve been. Is it any wonder City fans are bored of the place?

For those who might not be familiar, Wembley isn’t a cheap day out either.

Most people travelling from Manchester – or surrounding areas – to London can expect to pay north of £100 for a return train ticket. That’s before you even get to match tickets, food, drink and potential accommodation if fans choose to stay over.

Win your last-four clash, and with the increase in ticket prices for the final, it’s an even more expensive gig just one month later. Just because Manchester City’s owners have deep pockets, it doesn’t mean the fans are equally well off.

It wasn’t always like this. Once upon a time, FA Cup semi-finals were played at neutral venues up and down the country. It made attending the games easier, but more importantly, cheaper, and also meant Wembley was reserved solely for the final itself.

The only reason more fans aren’t up in arms about the continued use of Wembley for FA Cup semi-finals is because, unlike the City faithful, they haven’t had to make such a journey every year for the best part of a decade.

Nottingham Forest’s match against Manchester City on Sunday afternoon was the first time they’d competed in an FA Cup semi-final since Wembley re-opened in 2007. By contrast, for City, it was their 10th.

Patience is certainly wearing thin in the City fanbase, not only with this issue, but with the treatment of supporters in general. Home matches at the Etihad Stadium have seen several fan-led protests this season, as fans continue to push back on the club’s exploitative ticketing policy.

The sport, at least from a match-going perspective, is certainly at a crossroads. Maybe the horse has already bolted. Perhaps protests will prove futile. But surely everyone, not just City fans, would rather go down fighting?

So instead of rage-baiting online with pictures of empty seats, join the resistance instead. The bigwigs sell us heritage but price out those who have actually lived it. There’s still time to change that.