Why were there thousands of empty seats at FA Cup semi?

Pep Guardiola’s side have enjoyed a remarkable period of success, and on May 17, the club and supporters will travel to the national stadium as a neutral for the 29th time since it underwent a renovation. They take on Crystal Palace.

Manchester City have won the trophy-filled years that followed by beating rivals Manchester United at Wembley after making their second home at the 2011 FA Cup semi-final.

However, the frequent trips from Manchester to London appear to have had a negative impact, with 72, 976 spectators present for Sunday’s game at the stadium’s 90, 000 capacity.

Although this was City’s seventh consecutive semi-final appearance, there have been times during that span (2019 71, 521 vs. Sheffield United, 69, 603) and those against Brighton in 2019 (71, 521).

The four semi-finalists this year had roughly the following ticket sales:

For those figures, factors like Nottingham Forest’s remarkable season, Crystal Palace’s thriving team, and Aston Villa’s enthusiastic squad chasing silverware under Unai Emery can be taken into account.

Most clubs and supporters look forward to a chance to spend a lifetime at Wembley. This is not a typical Wembley experience.

The idea of giving the tickets away would be a good one, but there must be a balance between keeping them on sale until the last minute so fans can purchase them and allowing people in their neighborhood to receive them for free.

The main factors contributing to the number of empty seats are the cost of travel, which ranges from £30 to £150, the cost of food and beverage purchases in London, and a Sunday kick-off at 16:30 BST, according to Manchester City supporters.

It is an expensive day out, and when you have done it 25 or 30 times, you have to make a decision about the cost, according to Kevin Parker, general secretary of City’s official supporters’ club, according to BBC Sport.

Fans are hoping to be reasonably confident that we will compete in the FA Cup final despite Guardiola’s incredible record in charge. Only three weeks apart are those games. People must make a financial choice, after all.

Guardiola embraced the acclaim of the traveling supporters as they joyfully celebrated their victory with their “Poznan” dance.

You could see the supporters’ enthusiasm after beating Nottingham Forest, but Parker asserts that “Wembley fatigue” is a good way to express how we feel about the game.

The additional costs, as well as having work or school the day after, make it a long day. Playing at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday is not convenient.

Some City fans are planning additional protests for the Premier League game against Wolves at Etihad Stadium on Friday over what they claim is the club’s refusal to increase the number of season-ticket holders.

However, Parker claimed that the semi-final tickets weren’t sold because there was nothing wrong with the empty seats.

Additionally, it has been suggested that the semi-finals should be moved from Wembley to another nearby venue.

In his pre-game press conference on Friday, city manager Guardiola said, “One day maybe the FA Cup will be played here in the north.”

They will visit Old Trafford, Anfield, or Goodison Park, respectively. I am not the person to say that I understand the people.

“I fully understand that people all over the world experience economic hardship, and I fully understand that.”

The MCFC Fans Foodbank Support, a founder of the organization, claimed that City are “a northern club” and require fans to travel 400 miles round.

Clarke claimed to be “out of pocket” for the trip, noting that 12 passengers only had to pay for the 16-seat minibus, which he had reserved for £850, while his ticket cost £45 and the cost total for food and beverages was £60.

Steve and Andrew both claimed that the “aura” of those games should be preserved during the semi-finals at Wembley, while Ian claimed that the costs “mount up.”

The semi-finals are held at Wembley, which can accommodate the most fans for the teams competing in the last four, though.