Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has added his voice to the clamour calling for their FA Cup semi-final with Manchester City to be moved to the north west. The FA yesterday announced that they were laying on 100 free coaches respectively for both competitors to compensate for shutting off the main train line, which serves the stadium for the semi-finals.
That was after Liverpool had requested the cup tie be moved, with no fans able to get direct trains to London Euston for the match on April 16 from either Liverpool or Manchester. There have been calls for either Old Trafford or Villa Park to host the match with both stadiums vacant on that weekend – but the FA opted against changing venues.
A statement said: “The FA will charter 100 buses from Anfield and the Etihad Stadium respectively to Wembley Stadium and back. This will ensure that up to 5,000 Liverpool and Manchester City supporters will be able to travel to Wembley stadium free of charge for their semi-final tie.
“In addition, The FA is working with its partners at National Highways to ensure that the road networks are running as efficiently as possible over the Easter period.
“Hundreds of miles of unessential roadworks will be put on hold to help supporters enjoy the occasion and enhance their journeys, and these motorists are encouraged to make sure that their vehicles are roadworthy before setting off.”
Liverpool skipper Henderson, however, feels that it is time for the FA to listen more to than fans themselves.
“This time, I’ve been thinking a bit more about the fans,” he said. “In many ways it’s their day and not being able to get down to London for different reasons – the cost of that. So in my head it would make sense obviously to change it to a neutral venue, especially with it being two teams from the northwest.
“There’s obviously complications within that. But looking at the fan, and we’ve learned over the past couple of years how important the fans are to football, it is really disappointing to see that it’s a struggle and it’s got to be expensive for them to get there.
“I love playing at Wembley – it’s a fantastic occasion, a fantastic stadium. But I would like to keep Wembley for finals anyway and play semi-finals at another neutral ground like it used to be.”
The two Premier League contenders meet one another at 3.30pm on April 16, just six days after the two go head-to-head in a high-stakes league match. Liverpool and City meet at the Etihad on Sunday April 10 knowing victory for either side could go a very long way to deciding who ends up as league champions this season.