Arsenal vs Manchester United to have empty seats after FA Cup ticket row | OneFootball

United fail in bid to have 1,000 seats given to neutrals after Arsenal did not offer them full 9,000 allocation

Arsenal and Manchester United’s row over the ticket allocation for Sunday’s FA Cup clash at Emirates Stadium has ended with around 1,000 seats being left empty.

Under FA Cup rules, United were entitled to an allocation of 15 per cent, 9,000 tickets, for their away fans.

The club received an allocation of 7,956 for the third-round tie, including 78 wheelchair pairs.

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.

Around 1,000 seats will be left empty at Emirates Stadium on Sunday

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The Safety Advisory Group, which includes input from the emergency services and police, were behind the decision to cap the allocation at around 8,000 seats and keep travelling fans in the lower tier.

A suggested solution to ensure the remaining 1,000 tickets were used was to give the tickets to neutrals, such as those from community or grassroots projects, but no agreement was found.

It means around 1,000 seats will 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.