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Manchester City: United To Complain Over Tickets

By Jason Bardwell

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - APRIL 27: A supporter is pictured wearing a half and half scarf prior to the Premier League match between Manchester City and Manchester United at Etihad Stadium on April 27, 2017 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - APRIL 27: A supporter is pictured wearing a half and half scarf prior to the Premier League match between Manchester City and Manchester United at Etihad Stadium on April 27, 2017 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) /
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It seems  quite a rather trivial thing to complain about, but it’s what United does and so it should have been expected. For the Manchester derby, United have only been allocated 2,800 tickets for the fixture which could seal the Premier League title.

It seems that has come after safety advice, which was also the case in Champions League football as City faced Feyenoord earlier in the campaign. It’s not the first time United have cried to the FA after not getting what they feel they are ‘entitled’ to.

Remember, back in 2012 in the FA Cup Third Round, when United complained that City hadn’t allocated the usual 15% of seats for the fixture. This, despite United not obliged to do the same because their stadium is the ‘biggest’ in the country. Had the game gone to a replay, 11% is exactly what United would offer City.

That tie had been designated in the ‘highest risk’ category and that was before City had won any trophies, other than the previous seasons FA Cup. That risk assessment came after the rivalry between the two sides. That was when we were still refered to as the ‘Noisy Neighbours’, imagine it now that we own the City!

The complaint then, as with now, is quite a surprise. In the previous meeting, a Carling Cup tie, United accepted the lower number of tickets. After the reverse fixture this season, with trouble in the tunnel, and all the fall out from that, it was probably not unexpected that a smaller allocation would be given.

Combine all that with the fact that Manchester City could potentially seal the Premier League title against United, Mourinho and Sanchez at the Etihad. If that is the case, would even 2,800 United fans show up? I highly doubt it. Just for the sake of comparing, that Old Trafford derby game, City were allocated a little over 3,000 tickets.

Next: Manchester Derby: City And United Escape Sanctions

The fact is that there is a joke going around about City failing to sell out the stadium. Calling it the ‘EMPTYhad’ it’s been an ongoing joke, and sometimes there have been empty seats. Some newspapers jump on this by posting video of ‘pockets of empty seats’ to highlight this. However, when you look at the field you often see two goals at one end, players warming up or half time pies being purchased!

Last season, with City in no danger of securing the title, United couldn’t sell their allocation for the game. Watch the game, look a the visitors end and tell me if City should have risked safety and given them the extra 200. I would bet the answer, with a little under a month to go, will be no.