Former Liverpool striker John Aldridge has accused the Football Association with devaluing the FA Cup for refusing to change the venue of one of the semi-finals.
The semi-finals of the FA Cup are due to take place on the 16th and 17th of April, with Manchester City facing off against Liverpool in one of the ties.
However, it has come to light that there will be complications with travelling due to engineering work which will happen over that weekend. This means a large number of Liverpool and Man City fans will struggle to make their way back up to the North West.
This has led to calls from both fan groups from both clubs to hold the semi-final at another venue instead, with Old Trafford being the most likely alternative to Wembley.
Despite this, the FA have refused to change the venue, leading to former Reds striker Aldridge blasting the body.
As quoted by the Mirror, he said: “We’re not stupid, we know they want the semis at Wembley – to pay for Wembley, it was always the case.
“Sir Alex Ferguson used to get accused of devaluing the competition by putting different teams out. But what they [the FA] are doing is devaluing the competition in many ways, to get the money to pay for Wembley. For the sake of Manchester City and Liverpool fans, there’s not much difference playing it at Manchester United.”
Concessions have recently been made to accommodate Chelsea fans during their FA Cup semi-final against Crystal Palace, with a new licence being granted by the government.
While the FA operate on a different plain, the refusal to move the final considering the circumstances surrounding travel that weekend is a poor showing from the FA.