Leicester admit regret after sparking furious reaction with FA Cup final ticketing blunder

Leicester admit regret after sparking furious reaction with FA Cup final ticketing blunder having imposed mandatory £45 coach service to fans travelling to Wembley from Leicestershire 

  • Leicester City upset their fans this week over the FA Cup final ticket arrangement
  • Fans rushed to sell out the 6,250 Wembley tickets available to Foxes supporters 
  • At first, the club ordered fans from Leicester to go to the game on a £45 coach
  • Leicester then backtracked on their comments and say they regret angering fans

Leicester City have said they regret angering supporters over the sale of tickets for the club’s first FA Cup final in more than 50 years.

The Foxes initially frustrated fans by announcing that anyone with a Leicestershire postcode who had a ticket would be forced to travel via an official club coach at a cost of £45 otherwise they risked being barred from Wembley.

However, the club announced on Saturday that they had underestimated the number of fans travelling from the county and the remaining 233 fans with tickets from an LE postcode were free to get to the game however they wished.

Leicester say they regret angering their fans over the FA Cup final ticketing structure

Leicester say they regret angering their fans over the FA Cup final ticketing structure

The Foxes said anyone with a Leicester postcode had to travel to the final via an official coach

The Foxes said anyone with a Leicester postcode had to travel to the final via an official coach

Leicester fans rushed to snap up all of the 6,250 tickets for their first FA Cup final since 1969, which have now sold out.

Supporters were already annoyed by the hefty £45, though the club insist this figure was heavily subsidised.

The FA Cup final is the last government test event before stadiums open at the end of the season and one of the criteria that needed to be followed was a certain number of supporters travelling by coach – a capacity set by the government.

Leicester, though, have been accused of misleading fans as their initial announcement made no mention of a quota and instead told all fans that those with a county postcode would be forced to take the coach.

The club then announced the remaining fans could travel to the game however they wish

The club then announced the remaining fans could travel to the game however they wish

It is understood the club wanted to avoid fans waiting until the last minute to buy tickets to ensure they could make their own way to Wembley.

Fan group Union FS released a statement on Friday night stating ‘serious concerns’ about how the club had handled the process.

Leicester acknowledged they may have left fans frustrated by the arrangements but insisted they acted ‘in good faith’.

The FA Cup final between Leicester and Chelsea is the final test even before stadiums open

The FA Cup final between Leicester and Chelsea is the final test even before stadiums open

Brendan Rodgers' side will be competing in their first FA Cup final in over 50 years next week

Brendan Rodgers’ side will be competing in their first FA Cup final in over 50 years next week

‘Leicester City regrets that some LE-based supporters who were required to book onto coaches may have been frustrated that they were not presented with other travel options,’ the club said in a statement.

‘The club has acted in good faith throughout the sales process, working extensively with the FA and DCMS to ensure compliance with the ERP (Events Research Programme) requirements, and significantly subsidising the cost to supporters of mandated coach travel.

‘The club is grateful to supporters for their cooperation and support in respect of the government’s ERP requirements. Supporters are reminded that they must travel to the final using the method of transport designated during their ticket purchase, to ensure that all match tickets are correctly validated for admittance to Wembley Stadium.’

source: dailymail.co.uk