‘Great gesture’ – Many Man City fans react as club announce subsidised Wembley travel for Liverpool FA Cup semi-final

Manchester City have announced that they have secured an initial 50 coaches to operate a day trip travel package for the FA Cup Semi-Final against Liverpool at Wembley Stadium.

The match is scheduled to take place on either 16th or 17th April, but supporters are faced with a travel nightmare. Rail engineering works mean that there will be no direct train services between either Manchester or Liverpool and London Euston over Easter weekend, making it extremely difficult and expensive for fans to get down to Wembley and back home again in one day.

Manchester and Liverpool metro mayors Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram increased the pressure on the FA by calling for a change of venue, but City’s announcement suggests that the match will remain at the national stadium despite the disruption faced by match-goers.

City will subsidise the cost of the day-trip coach travel, meaning that it will cost £40 per person for supporters in Manchester to get to and from Wembley on matchday.

It’s an admirable gesture from City, who have decided to help out their fans in a situation created by the incompetence of others. However, some supporters have suggested that the Blues might have been better off pressuring the FA to move the match, or further subsidising travel.

Here’s what some Man City fans on Twitter made of the news.

“Greatest club in the world.”
Credit: @TxixiTaka

“No club in the world comes close.”
Credit: @AG_MCFC

“Say what you like about the sheikh but he doesn’t half take care of the fans.”
Credit: @mcfcsaltmine

“ Great gesture but missing the point of the extra traffic on the M6, M40 etc. Would be better using the money to compensate the corporate and others already in place for that weekend. This ultimately will be the reason why it won’t be moved.”
Credit: @blairyib

““Football is for the fans” until they actually have to do something that would make fan’s lives far easier.”
Credit: @olicoulsxn

“ A coach can hold what, 65 people? so 50 coaches is less than 3500 of 35000 potentially going. Seems pointless.”
Credit: @agbutler2006

“I’m not applauding this, it should be completely free, we’re literally owned by billionaires, the club are top of the Deloitte football money league. £35k is pocket change to Manchester City, we’re just consumers to these guys not the backbone of an age old institution.”
Credit: @MarxistColumbo

“seeing ungrateful replies already 😂 “only” £35k subsidised, “only” 50 coaches (if you ignore the word INITIAL). we’ve become so spoilt as a fanbase..”
Credit: @Mikee_1894