Arsenal and Manchester United’s row over the ticket allocation for Sunday’s FA Cup clash at Emirates Stadium could result in 1,000 seats being left empty.
Under FA Cup rules, United are entitled to an allocation of up to 15 per cent, 9,000 tickets, for their away fans.
The club have received 7,956 tickets for the third-round tie, including 78 wheelchair pairs, which equates to an allocation of over 13 per cent.
Safety concerns are behind United not receiving their full 9,000 allocation, with some of the seats in question due to be in the upper tier of Emirates Stadium.
Persistent standing is not permitted in the upper tier of Emirates Stadium for safety reasons and as such away fans cannot be housed there.
The infrastructure of Emirates Stadium also means that 9,000 away fans cannot be in the lower tier and that has led to the issue of the remaining 1,000 seats.
The Safety Advisory Group, which includes input from the emergency services and police, are involved in discussions of this nature to ensure the safety of both sets of supporters.
A suggested solution to ensure the tickets are used is to give them to neutrals, such as those from community or grassroots projects, but no agreement has been found yet.
It means around 1,000 seats could be left empty on Sunday.
United’s fans will fill out much of the lower tier behind the one of the goals, with some Arsenal fans moved from their usual seats to accommodate the increased number of away supporters.
Arsenal head into the match looking to bounce back from their 2-0 defeat to Newcastle in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final on Tuesday.
