WEMBLEY WOE
Liverpool’s FA Cup semi-final with Man City WILL be at Wembley despite fan outrage with no trains to London all weekend
LIVERPOOL and Manchester City's FA Cup semi-final WILL go ahead at Wembley despite no trains running to London from either city.
Engineering works means there will be no rail services from Liverpool or Manchester into London Euston on the weekend of April 16/17 - when both semi-finals will take place.
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Yet despite the train works having been planned for two years, the FA has opted not to move the match.
According to , football bosses were warned of this situation SIX MONTHS ago following a letter from Network Rail.
But a statement from the FA read: "The FA will be liaising closely with both Liverpool and Manchester City on all match arrangements, including supporters travel for the upcoming semi-final at Wembley Stadium, with further details to be announced in due course.
"We are also continuing to work with both Network Rail and National Express to find a solution so that supporters of both teams are able to travel to and from the fixture with as minimal disruption as possible."
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At least one North West-based team has made the semi-finals of the FA Cup every year since 2011.
And if the game takes place on the Saturday - which appears most likely - the last train home for Liverpool fans will be at 7.35pm - just minutes after the full-time whistle.
Meanwhile, Man City fans will find it almost impossible to complete the round trip due to the number of changes and rail replacements they will have to get.
The Premier League champions are reportedly looking into the possibility of providing extra coaches for their supporters, but the fans remain furious about the decision to keep the match at Wembley.
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Kevin Parker, from Man City's official supporters’ club, said: "Nobody is surprised. The FA will have known this was going to be a problem and yet have done nothing about it.
"They could have made arrangements to play this game at Old Trafford. However, for them it is just about money, not the supporters of City or Liverpool."
Liverpool fans’ group Spirit of Shankly and City’s 1894 Group issued a joint statement that read: "For all involved, it’s not a case of 'We’re on our way to Wembley' but 'How will we get to Wembley?'
"Over the Easter weekend, when the game is scheduled, there are no direct trains to London from either Liverpool or Manchester.
"We are asking both clubs, the FA and Wembley to reconsider where this game is played and, for once, to put the fans at the forefront of their thinking."
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