Former Liverpool striker John Aldridge has accused the Football Association of devaluing their own competition by holding the FA Cup semi-finals at Wembley.
Liverpool face Manchester City at Wembley on the weekend of April 16 and 17, but engineering works mean there are no direct trains to London from the north-west. With tens of thousands of fans from both clubs set to descend on Wembley, there have been calls to move the game to a neutral venue in the north, with Old Trafford the obvious choice.
Liverpool fans have already called for the tie to be moved to a more accessible venue for both sets of fans, with City also joining in the condemnation of the FA for refusing to switch the game. Ex-Liverpool striker Aldridge said: "We're not stupid, we know they want the semis at Wembley - to pay for Wembley, it was always the case.
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"But logic is logic, come on. Manchester and Liverpool clubs - just play it at Manchester United. In our day, the FA Cup was so great as it was about getting to the final at Wembley.
"Sir Alex Ferguson used to get accused of devaluing the competition by putting different teams out. But what they [the FA] are doing is devaluing the competition in many ways, to get the money to pay for Wembley. For the sake of Manchester City and Liverpool fans, there's not much difference playing it at Manchester United, which can hold 80,000."
The FA have spoken to both clubs about the situation, but have no plans to move the tie from Wembley, despite the travel chaos supporters will inevitably face. Kevin Parker, General secretary of the Manchester City Supporters' Association, said: “No-one is surprised that the FA won't change the venue.
“Whenever did they consider the inconvenience to supporters? Never is the answer. They do not deserve to have this showpiece game between the two best teams in England. We have made representations, but we always knew it would be in vain. They are a disgrace."
