Manchester City and Manchester United are no strangers to confrontation but a fresh battle is being fought in the academy
Manchester City's Joie Stadium will host the FA Youth Cup final against Manchester United
Manchester City's Joie Stadium will host the FA Youth Cup final against Manchester United(Image: Matt McNulty/Getty Images)
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There is no love lost between Manchester City and Manchester United. The rivalry between the two clubs has always been fierce but since City started to dominate English football and United suffered a drop in form, the Manchester rivalry has become even more intense.
Now that rivalry has stepped up a gear following the controversy surrounding the FA Youth Cup final. City and United's academies reached the prestigious game after equally impressive campaigns. The Blues dispatched Fulham, Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton and Blackburn Rovers while the Reds progressed after wins over Peterborough, Derby County, Oxford United, Sunderland and Crystal Palace.
The last time United reached the final of the FA Youth Cup, Old Trafford hosted the clash against Nottingham Forest with more than 60,000 fans in attendance. United benefitted from the luxury of playing at home thanks to the draw. This year, it is City who have gained that advantage.
However, City are unable to host the final at the Etihad Stadium. The Blues are currently renovating the North Stand and are hopeful of the new tier being open for the final day of the season against Aston Villa.
Hosting the FA Youth Cup final could delay that work and thus it was proposed that City's academy base - the Joie Stadium would host the game. That stadium has a capacity of 7,000 supporters which has led to fury from the red half of Manchester.
United offered to host the match at Old Trafford but City rejected the opportunity to sacrifice home advantage. The FA gave dispensation for City's Youth Cup fixtures to be played at the academy ground but it is understood they would have supported the final being played at the Etihad, if possible.
The Blues would have undoubtedly preferred to play the game at the Etihad Stadium too. Some conspiracies have suggested City were fearful of more United fans attending the match than their supporters.
Even if that was to happen, at this level, there is more to be gained by playing in front of bigger attendances, regardless of who they support. Equally, the Blues were under no obligation to gift United an advantage so, in this instance, circumstances have combined to lessen the spectacle of this final.
That being said, this debacle strengthens the case for the FA Youth Cup final to be played at an agreed neutral venue, well in advance of the fixture date. This final is now attracting impressive crowds, not too dissimilar to the upcoming League One and Two play-off finals.
Once the two teams have been decided could a neutral venue near the two competing clubs be found? Or could a date be set in stone in the football calendar for the fixture powers that be to work around?
As interest in academy football continues to grow, these are conversations that must take place. Neither club wants this final to be outshone by an operational issue so a rethink on the final venue must be considered.