FA urged to “stand up for Everton”

, 25 February, 0comments  |  Jump to most recent
The Football Association are being urged to intervene in the ticketing controversy over Everton's allocation for next month's FA Cup Quarter Final at Arsenal.

Based on the recommendation of their Safety Advisory Group which cited safety concerns for their decision, Arsenal opted to make just 5,186 seats available to Everton's fans for the tie at The Emirates Stadium, well short of the 9,000 seats, or 15% of capacity, provided for in FA rules.

Now, both Merseyside-born Member of Parliament, Andy Burnham, and supporters group, The Blue Union, have joined Liverpool Major, Joe Anderson, in making separate calls for the FA to ensure that Arsenal honour the governing body's recommended allocation.

Mr Burnham, MP for Leigh, wrote to FA chairman Greg Dyke in a letter obtained by the Liverpool Echo in which he says: "The views of the Ground Safety Advisory Group are important and should not be ignored, but I fail to see how a club with years of experience handling big fixtures, in a purpose built stadium, cannot devise a solution to meet the ticketing rules.

"It is also worth saying that any Safety Advisory Group will be more influenced by the views of one club.

"In situations like this surely there is a role for the FA to broker a more independent view, fair to both sets of supporters?"

The Blue Union, meanwhile, in an open letter of their own to the FA, question the SAG's decision, describing it as "a flagrant disregard for the rules of the competition, and sets a dangerous precedent that could impact supporters in the future.

"Everton has a rich history in the FA Cup, something that Evertonians are immensely proud of. The ties, either home or away, are some of the most highly anticipated fixtures of the season... [T]he decision that the Safety Advisory Board has come to is at best poor treatment of the biggest stakeholders in the competition of one of the best supported Clubs in the country, and at worst an obvious attempt to give the home team a greater advantage."

Though Arsenal made the full 9,000 allocation available to Coventry City for a Fourth Round tie at The Emirates earlier in the season, they offered both Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool significantly reduced allocations in the Third and Fifth Rounds respectively.

 



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