Liverpool are demanding the Football Association switch the FA Cup semi final clash with Manchester City away from Wembley.
Fans from both clubs face the nightmare of no trains from anywhere in the north west of England to London on the weekend of the cup tie, with extensive works set to be carried out on the West coast lines, by Network Rail.
It means almost 70,000 people will have to travel by road to the national stadium, and after talks with City and the FA, Liverpool have made a formal request for the game to be switched to another ground.
The obvious alternative would be Manchester United ’s Old Trafford stadium, which has a capacity of almost 75,000, and would cut down dramatically travel times for both sets of fans. But Mirror Sport understand the FA are opposed to the idea and are unlikely to make the switch, because of their contract with Wembley Stadium.
Despite making encouraging noises to both clubs over the issue, and expressing sympathy about the disruption of rail works which have been planned for some months, the FA seems certain to stick to the semi at the showpiece venue. The English game’s governing body has a lucrative contract with Wembley Stadium, and it is believed they are unwilling to make concessions even for a major one off issue such as this.
The FA is dependent on income from their showpiece occasions, and they are unwilling to lose out on that money. It has also been suggested they are reluctant to set a precedent for games to be switched, even though an all north west semi final would make sense in a north west venue.
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Instead, we understand they will explore ways of helping fans with travel arrangements, with extra buses put on, though there seems to be no prospect of any special rail services being arranged. Liverpool believe the best solution is moving the game, and they would be happy to play in Manchester, despite their opponents being based in that city.
Mirror Sports understand too, that City have backed the notion in informal talks which have been ongoing since the draw was made on Sunday. Reds boss Jurgen Klopp was exasperated when he discovered the lengths supporters will have to go to attend the semi-final at Wembley with the rail works and hoped a solution could be found.
Klopp said recently: “How is that possible? The whole of the north west is cut off from the rest of England? I don’t know which kinds of solutions are available but I hope somebody finds one. If we could play with supporters that would be really good — for both teams. ”
Meanwhile the Reds have announced season ticket prices at Anfield have been frozen for the seventh year in succession. Phil Dutton, the club's vice-president of ticketing and hospitality, said: “We know the last few years have been a challenging time for everyone and today we can confirm that our season ticket prices will be frozen again for next season. This is now the seventh season in a row that we’ve frozen these prices, and it’s something we’re very proud of.”
