In a joint statement, they labelled the decision ‘a disgrace’ and pointed out that the last time United were in a final, 67,000 turned up at Old Trafford. ‘Allowing this massive game to be played in front of such a paltry few fans is letting down supporters and denying these young footballers the biggest night of their careers so far,’ they added.
However, those cries fell on deaf ears, and the match, which City won 2-1, went ahead at the Joie Stadium, which is across the road from the 53,400-capacity Etihad. FA officials are now considering a rule change as part of an annual competition review, which would prevent a similar situation from happening again. Should the professional game board decide to press ahead, an addition may be made to the existing regulation which stipulates that, should the hosts not be able to stage the game at their ‘main’ stadium, it should be switched to the home of their opponents.