FA Cup semi-final verdict reached as Wembley's empty seats raise important question

The empty seats in the Manchester City end at Wembley on Saturday has again reignited the almost annual debate over whether the biggest stadium in the country should host FA Cup semi-finals.

Pep Guardiola's side avoided a shock against Southampton as Nico Gonzalez scored a rocket with three minutes left to secure a 2-1 win. But plenty of attention was on the swathes of unsold seats in the City end.

The 90,000-seater stadium has hosted FA Cup semi-finals ever since it was re-opened in 2007 but in recent years the attendances have raised questions over whether the last-four clashes need to head elsewhere. Previously Villa Park was a popular venue, playing host to some iconic games.

Opinion is naturally split. For City especially, the magic of going to Wembley will naturally die off when you're making three visits a year, as they will do this term. There's also the financial cost of it - fans having to trek it down to London has a whiff of supporters not overly being considered.

Conversely, for a club like Southampton, trips to Wembley are hardly annual events. In the last decade clubs like Sheffield United and Coventry have also played in semi-finals. Go back further and Reading, Millwall and Barnsley have also featured. For their fans, heading to Wembley can be a real highlight.

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A reporter poked fun at Guardiola for the lack of City fans who travelled, but he insisted they will head there for the final next month. So we're asking whether the FA need to, again, take a serious look at being more open minded about where the semi-finals are held.

John Cross

I love the FA Cup but hate semi-finals being played at Wembley. We should remember why they were shifted to the national stadium in the first place.

Back in the early 90s - yes, I’m old enough to remember - there were a few semi-finals (most notably the North London derby in 1991 and 93) where it made sense to shift them to Wembley. Soon, other teams followed suit. Where else would be big enough to hold a Sheffield derby?

So, let’s just use logic and go back to using convenient stadiums. Villa Park if it is nearer. Old Trafford. And that would give the FA Cup back a bit of magic. You might, however, find a lot of players enjoy the semi-finals being played at Wembley because it’s a chance to play there.

Southampton packed out their end at Wembley and were dreaming of an upset

Southampton packed out their end at Wembley and were dreaming of an upset

One important note on this. I hate pundits and even journos who have never paid for a ticket in their life let alone followed a club lecturing fans on loyalty and making snide remarks on stadiums being half full. Do you know how much it costs to be a Man City fan following your team to Wembley? And all over the country. Thousands and thousands of pounds. So don’t you dare question their loyalty.

Sam Meade

For starters I fully expect the FA to continue on as normal, after all semi-finals at Wembley generate revenue and let's be honest, they seem to have little care for the match-going fan. Over the years, when we've seen train strikes from the north, they've had little appetite to change the venue.

For me, there's no doubt shifting the semi-finals is a no-brainer. It means there's even more magic about the final being at Wembley and, with so many competitive teams coming from the north, having the games further north makes total sense.

I get this talk of lesser clubs having their day out, but in the 20 years of the new Wembley the vast majority of Football League clubs will have played there, be it through the play-offs or other means.

Man City have played at Wembley more than any team over the past decade - and that has placed a huge demand on their fans

Man City have played at Wembley more than any team over the past decade - and that has placed a huge demand on their fans

I'd love to say watch this space, but nothing will change.

Felix Keith

I can see both sides of the argument. You only had to look at the yellow half of Wembley on Saturday to see the fabled Magic of the Cup. Southampton fans were delighted to make the trip to north London (even if South Western Railway didn't play ball) and there was a fantastic atmosphere inside the national stadium.

But would that atmosphere have been any less special at a different venue? I'm not so sure, especially given the oft-lamented Prawn Sandwich Brigade not re-emerging from hospitality until the 60th minute.

The allure of a trip to Wembley just isn't there for fans of many clubs these days - and especially those whose teams reach the last four of the FA Cup. And it undoubtedly takes the shine off the final when you've already been there three weeks earlier.

I think the competition would benefit from a shake up, with semi-finals at a neutral venue. Send them to Hill Dickinson Stadium, Villa Park or Principality Stadium for a fresh day out. We can't stop Manchester City getting there every year, so at least give their fans a different reason for turning up.

Andy Dunn

At Saturday’s semi-final, one half of the stadium was full and fully interested while the other half was half-full and half-interested. Before the unexpected late entertainment, it was quite a dispiriting occasion if you were not a Southampton fan. And there’s the rub. The Saints supporters seemed to be having a great day so why begrudge them the fun?

Villa Park was the scene of one of the great FA Cup semi-finals

Villa Park was the scene of one of the great FA Cup semi-finals(Image: Man Utd via Getty Images)

But, on balance, staging semi-finals at Wembley was a bad idea in the first place and remains a bad idea, albeit one that is not going to change. Wembley should be the crowning destination for the grand, old competition - not a step along the way.

But holding the semi-finals at Wembley was not the most unforgivable break from tradition. No, the Football Association allowing the FA Cup final to be played before the end of the Premier League season was the most unforgivable decision. If Wembley should indeed be the crowning destination, the FA Cup final should be the season’s crowning day.

Jeremy Cross

Manchester City supporters have become the real victims of their own club’s success. More than two dozen trips to Wembley in just a decade will have taken a toll on fans’ wallets.

The FA Cup final is one of the most prestigious games in the whole of football. And those two sides who reach it shouldn’t have had the privilege of having played at Wembley in order to get there.

Yes, stage semi-finals on a neutral ground, just not Wembley. Old Trafford, Villa Park, St James’ Park and Anfield are all more than capable of hosting a last-four game. Tradition appears to have gone out of the window. Along with putting supporters first - not least in a period when millions are feeling the pinch of a cost of living crisis.

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