The upcoming Arsenal vs. Manchester United FA Cup game is considered a must watch for fans, but attending it won’t be easy. With the matchup scheduled for March 7 at 7:45pm (local time), it might take some extra cash to make it happen.
It was the slot that the BBC appointed for the last game of the quarterfinal round
Arsenal fans are the ones mostly affected by the scheduling issue. With the last train departing from Manchester Piccadilly to London Euston at 9.15pm, fans would either have to find their own way home or leave around 40 minutes early. Driving from Old Trafford to Emirates Stadium takes around four hours (199 miles).
With the game ending late at night, it could be difficult for fans to catch the train back to London
The FA Cup is well known to allocate fans from away teams with a considerable amount of tickets. To help the team have more support on the stand, the London club has started to find ways to help Gunners’ supporters.
“The club is exploring a number of options to help our traveling supporters get back to London afterwards,” read a statement on the team’s website.
“The football authorities need to explain why with four quarter-finals we can’t play two on Saturday and two on Sunday,” Arsenal Supporters’ Trust spokesman Tim Peyton said.
Peyton, along with many other leaders of Arsenal support groups, think the FA and the BBC should put fans first. They believe that without the supporters of both teams, the atmosphere at a game just won't the same.
Support groups believe the FA and the BBC should put fans first when scheduling games
“We are calling on the FA and Arsenal to subsidize travel to the game and have reasonably-priced match tickets,” Peyton said.
