Supporters’ groups from Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur have joined forces to condemn the ticketing arrangements for the Carabao Cup final — claiming that the match is no longer a sporting event and more a “scientific experiment”.
Protocol for the final at Wembley on April 25, released yesterday, excluded clinically vulnerable supporters, anyone under the age of 18 and pregnant women from attending the final.
City and Spurs will receive 2,000 tickets each, with the remaining 4,000 of the vastly reduced capacity available for Brent residents and NHS staff, but there has been anger from fans of both clubs about who can attend and the distribution of tickets. The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust, the Manchester City Official Supporters Club and the City fans’ 1894 Group released a joint statement yesterday to outline their objections.
“The Carabao Cup final is now not a sporting event, and headlines that it represents ‘the return of fans’ are misleading,” the statement said.
“The event is a football match played as the centrepiece of a scientific experiment in front of some spectators, a small proportion of whom may be fans of the clubs involved. We’re glad that the risks of taking part are prominent but we question the basis for the strong advice given to clinically vulnerable people, many of whom will have been fully vaccinated, to not apply or attend. We would also have liked more explanation of why under-18s are excluded. Given the mix of spectators, the crowd will not behave as a normal football crowd, and so researching its movement and behaviour is of limited value.”
Advertisement
SpursAbility, Tottenham’s disabled supporters’ club, described the conditions for attendance as “direct discrimination towards many disabled supporters.”
Fans wishing to attend the final, which will have the highest attendance at an outdoor sporting event in the UK since the first lockdown, must take a lateral flow coronavirus test at a designated site — not at home — in the 24 hours before the game.
Fans must take proof of a negative test, either by text or email, to the game. They will also be asked to take two tests at home, the first before the match and the second five days after.
