In news that nobody could have expected, Manchester City’s trip to Wembley on Saturday brought about another discussion on empty seats. The Blues were not close to selling out their allocation for their FA Cup semi-final against Championship side Southampton, prompting an entirely predictable mess from all the usual bad faith actors.
There were the Southampton fans calling it out while curiously not mentioning that St Mary’s is rarely full (maybe they haven’t been to know), the blue tick accounts on social media stirring the pot so they can get some pennies from Elon Musk and then the fans of other big clubs spending a sunny afternoon taking screenshots of their television and using it as irrefutable proof of City’s guilt over the 115 charges. It wasn’t a great reflection of the quality of the game that everyone’s interest seemed to be in the stands.
There is a debate to be had over whether the FA Cup semi-finals should be held at Wembley, but then at the same time there isn’t. You can cram as many people as you like in the Vatican or the woods but none of their opinions are going to change what the Pope is or what a bear will do.
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It may be the FA’s fault that semi-finals are no longer held around the country but they can hardly be blamed for Pep Guardiola arriving on English shores and making nine FA Cup semi-finals in 10 years on top of Carabao Cup domination and regular Community Shield visits. It isn’t normal, and it won’t last when he leaves.
Some Blues will welcome that because their bank balances will be hundreds of pounds healthier, even if they will have fewer days out with trophies on offer. That may sound mad to a fan of Southampton or another team that dream of going but it is the current reality – something that too many either cannot or are unwilling to accept.
For thousands, an FA Cup semi-final where the team is extremely likely to reach the final is an easy opportunity to save some money and *only* make two trips to Wembley in two months rather than three. The fact that it was the weekend of the London Marathon and hotel prices had skyrocketed likely made the decision easier.
That is true wherever City fans are located. The club filled their allocation in 2023 when tens of thousands of season ticket holders boycotted the Community Shield, so they do have supporters across the country and beyond who are willing to pay to watch them for the right price; there were many there in the crowd on Saturday.
That number may well be smaller than Liverpool or United can call on, but equally does not discount City from having higher revenue than those two because they have been so much more successful than them recently and matchday revenue is the smallest piece of the pie.
Also, and most important, is who cares? Does it make anyone better to pipe up about a fanbase they don’t know, because it certainly feels demoralising to be writing the same old points because people either can’t or – more likely – simply don’t want to understand.
The beauty for City fans, matchgoing or not, is that they don’t need to care. They can simply ignore Margaret from Islington criticising them for not selling out, or Adam from Sunderland moaning online that it’s such a boring final he won’t be watching it.
As brows have furrowed more and more over the last decade, City fans have been having the time of their lives making memories they never thought were possible. They don’t care what your hot takes about them are because your opinion isn’t worth anything to them.
With that being the case, if you could spare the rest of us as well it would be greatly appreciated.