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Fans query ticket allocation

PACKED HOUSE: Wembley
THE "balance" over ticket allocation at the FA Cup final continues to need addressing, according to the Football Supporters Federation.

A capacity crowd of some 90,000 packed into the new Wembley Stadium yesterday to watch Chelsea beat Barclays Premiership champions Manchester United 1-0 after extra-time.

However, around 45 per cent of the tickets were allocated to groups other than the supporters of both teams.

Around 17,000 seats were taken by Club Wembley members, who have 10-year leases, while the remaining 23,000 tickets went to other clubs alongside grass roots and various football organisations.

The FSF are set to meet with the Football Association tomorrow, with the topic of ticket allocation and cost, as well as perceived high prices of catering at the new stadium, high on the agenda.

FSF chairman Malcolm Clarke accepted the subject of problems over ticket allocation was nothing new.

He told BBC Radio Five Live's Sportsweek programme: "With Wembley there are two distinct issues.

"They have got the Club Wembley arrangement, which gives a significant proportion of the stadium as first call to the people who have bought those seats. There is nothing which can be done about that.

"Then there is the related issue about how many the FA keep for their own purposes. That has been an historic issue and has been under debate for decades.

Occasion

"Part of the FA's view is this is an occasion when it can reward people in county FA's etc who do a lot of good work for the game.

"To some extent that is reasonable, but it is all about getting a balance.

"The fans of the match-day teams - who pay money to watch their teams week-in and week-out - will always think there could be more tickets for them, and most supporters would say the FA still have not got the balance quite right."

Clarke added the FSF would also voice concerns over the high prices of tickets generally.

He said: "More than 50pc of the tickets which were made available to the ordinary supporters yesterday were priced at £80 or £95, there are other issues such as the cost of the catering.

"Supporters would understand if the reasons for having all these corporate people, sponsors etc, who put a lot of money into it, enables the ordinary ticket price to be kept down.

"But you would be taking about half the amount.

"Clearly there is plenty we need to be in dialogue with the FA about."

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what about united,s distribution of the tickets we actually got would love to know how they allocated tickets . believe only about 13/14000 were given to ordinairy season tkt holders.

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Apparently Exeter took 30,000 for the Conference play off final.

I find it hard to believe that there's more Exeter supporters in Exeter than manyooyoos

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Maybe they based the allocation on the number of supporters that utd attract from Greater Manchester.

Come to think of it though 25,000 would be a bit generous given that criteria.

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bobby D, i have to say that after our abject approach to the match the other thing that really annoyed me was the very distinct lack of real utd supporters in the section i was in. We had £80 tickets in the lower section behind the goal & i've never seen so many women. Sure i've seen a few at away games this season & you know they are true reds but some of these weren't even dressed for a football game! although i wasn't complaining at one who would have been better suited to page 3 !!! There were two oriental women, intent on just taking photos and a girl just in front of us who spent probably 15 mins at the start cleaning her sunglasses. THE WHOLE TICKET FIASCO WAS A DISGRACE !!!

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