Liverpool and Manchester City will face each other in the FA Cup semi-finals on April 16. It is tradition in England to play the semi-finals and the final of the biggest cup tournament in Wembley, but that plan is meeting resistance from both sides due to planned rail works.
There are no direct trains to London from either Manchester or Liverpool due to the rail works. Supporters of both clubs have already called on the English Football Association to play the match elsewhere, but the FA does not want to hear about that. ,,We are working closely with both Network Rail (the English ProRail, ed.) and National Express (the English equivalent of the NS, ed.) to find a solution so that supporters of both teams go back and forth with as little disruption as possible. can travel to the game,” the football association said.
The FA was already warned in September about the possible problems surrounding the planning, but the football association ignored that warning at the time.
Difficult return journey
The return journey is particularly problematic. As things stand now, a return trip is hardly an option. Manchester fans have to change trains and buses several times, which won’t be easy with large supporter groups.
Liverpool fans need two miracles to get home: due to the work, the last train home leaves about two hours after the game has started. They then have a very tight transfer to another train.
However, the FA remains stoically optimistic and expects the game to go ahead as planned: ,,The FA is in good contact with both Liverpool and Manchester City regarding all arrangements surrounding the game, including how fans can reach the stadium. As soon as there is more clarity about the details, we will communicate them in due course.”
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Joint statement
Liverpool’s official supporters’ association is outraged: ,,Nobody is surprised. The FA had known about the work for a long time and still they have done nothing about it. They are all about money, they don’t care about Manchester City or Liverpool supporters,” a spokesperson said.
Also in a joint statement, supporter associations of both teams do not let the grass grow. ,,For the supporters it is not a question of ‘we are going to Wembley’, but of ‘how do we get to Wembley?’ There are no direct trains from Liverpool or Manchester all weekend. We are asking both clubs, the FA and Wembley to consider a different location and think about the supporters for once.”
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