As the FA Youth Cup final approaches, it’s become increasingly clear why Manchester City opted to stage the contest at the much smaller Joie Stadium rather than take up Manchester United’s offer to have it at Old Trafford or another larger venue.
Frustrating decision
After weeks of talks and speculation over where the showpiece FA Youth Cup final between City and United would be held, City – drawn as the home side – opted to have it at the Joie Stadium.
The expectation was that the game would be played at the Etihad but a date and time could not be agreed.
City therefore decided to have it at Joie Stadium, which is used by their academy and women’s teams. A subsequent report covered by The Peoples Person relayed that Darren Fletcher and his young charges were left extremely frustrated by the decision.
City insisted that using the Etihad was out of the question as a section of the 53,400-seater was undergoing construction.
It’s understood that United offered to make Old Trafford available but City outrightly rejected this, insisting they were not willing to give up home advantage. This is despite the fact that the FA Youth Cup final would rank as the biggest career highlight for most of the young players so far.
Now, the Daily Mail reveal that City’s difficulty selling out their allocation at the Joie Stadium likely explains their reluctance to have the Etihad used.
Plan unravels
The Daily Mail reveal, “With the FA Youth Cup final looming, the reason for City’s reluctance to host the game at the Etihad seems more apparent than ever judging by ticket sales for the big game.”
“While United sold out their allocation of less than 1,000 to season-ticket holders in a matter of minutes, City are still advertising sales of their share of 4,000 tickets.”
City would likely have faced the uncomfortable prospect of being outnumbered at their own ground had the Etihad been chosen to host the game.
When United last appeared in an FA Youth Cup final, 67,000 supporters crammed into Old Trafford. On that occasion, Kobbie Mainoo and Alejandro Garnacho were among those who steered the Red Devils to glory.
The FA Youth Cup final will kick off on Thursday, May 14, at 19:00 BST.
Featured image Michael Steele via Getty images
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