Watford are reported to still have 1,500 unsold tickets for Saturday’s semi-final against Man Utd at Villa Park, whilst Blackburn and Chelsea, who meet at Old Trafford on Sunday at 4pm, have both failed to sell 8,000 tickets of their allocations. The FA has come in for criticism for its choice of venue, but, as they say in their defence, Villa Park and Old Trafford are ‘established venues’, used to hosting big cup games.
I don’t usually have much sympathy for Chelsea fans, but a trip to Old Trafford for a late-afternoon kick-off on Sunday means those making the trip back to London won’t get home until after midnight. Blackburn don’t have the biggest fanbase, but they only have to travel 40 miles, so I’m surprised that they have fallen that far short of selling out.