The FA: The home of money-grabbing thieves that have stolen our game
What the English Football Association has done with the ticket allocation for the FA Cup is nothing short of obscene. They are thieves. They've stolen an additional 7000 tickets from Everton FC and Chelsea FC supporters in order to line their own pockets. Now the so called "football family", code for "corporate" prawn sandwich eaters, will number more than the allocations of the real supporters. 40000 to 25000.
Everton FC and Chelsea FC supporters have shed blood sweat and tears to support their clubs to the final. It is Everton's first final in almost 15 years, and so its a massively important game for the ordinary fans. So what do the FA do? They thieve the opportunities of ordinary fans to support their club with an additional slap in the face.
The FA's damage to Everton FC's fanbase has already been done.
Thanks to the ill-conceived allocation, Everton supporters clubs for instance will not get any allocation whatsoever. These supporters clubs are the social mechanisms that cement the foundation of the supporter base and keep the club's interests going in lean years. It is on good authority that what has occurred with the ticket allocation, will lead to the potential break up of a number of supporters clubs, as members will see that when the big games come up - they are amongst the first to be ditched. It should be borne in mind that ordinary active members of these clubs - have attended all home games and have 20+ "away credits" - yet will receive no opportunity to apply for final tickets.
Yet if the FA had given the clubs that additional 7000 tickets - all supporters clubs would have been able to have been given an allocation, and the opportunity to attend the final. Instead the tickets will be sold by the FA to groups for a premium - with a certainty the bulk will end up on the black market and internet touting sites, since uninterested parties can purchase them, and sell them on. It's Club Wembley x10. A bad idea magnified.
Congratulations FA. You have just ruined grass roots domestic football culture - AGAIN.
Thieves. Money grabbers. The people responsible for the allocations should resign. No exceptions. Up to this point Lord Treisman probably had the respect of ordinary supporters. Not after this debacle. The FA have damaged grass roots supporters in yet another greed-festival with fans forced to pay over the odds for tickets, and swindled out of their own clubs's rightful share.
(image above): "so much for a football stadium"
"Out a Tout". President Barak Obama came to power to restore "moral authority" to the US government. What moral authority do the Football association have? Their Club Wembley scheme is merely organised ticket touting. It was the case before the Semi-Finals and now will be magnified before the final. With up to 40000 tickets being undoubtedly available. Congratulations FA. You've outdone yourselves - AGAIN.
All tickets for the game should have been given to the clubs. Both clubs through their qualification have earned the rights to them and in so doing - the bare minimum of tickets from the semi final should have been made available. That being 32000 for Everton and Chelsea each. This is even before talking about the the ridiculous pricing policy, and prices inside Wembley stadium. £93 for an ordinary ticket, or £78 behind a goal, is almost double the semi final cost.
With what the FA has done has caused a huge amount of resentment. It's unforgivable really. Its damaged enthusiasm for the game as large numbers of faithful supporters (Supporter Club members often with 20+ away and cup credits) given no opportunity to attend or even apply for a ticket. These members have spent thousands supporting the club, and despite not being season ticket holders - they've attended more games home and away than half the season ticket supporter base. Anyone with a ticket will be thinking "why does this affect me?". It does because many friends and relatives will be unable to attend thanks to the FA's greed.
The FA have damaged Everton FC's (and undoubtedly Chelsea's) fan base.
Robert Elstone (Everton Chief Executive) should probably look to be taking legal action on behalf of the club for the damage that has been done. Supporters clubs he and the players have been visiting are probably going to fold thanks to the FA putting clubs between a rock and a hard place. Elstone has personally tried to cultivate these clubs - only for the FA to hammer the work done.
The England national team - is also all about money. The years of Bobby Robson are long gone. Unless Everton players are playing its impossible to watch them anymore because its all about money for the FA and corporate sponsors.
They're trying to do the same to the domestic clubs.
What the FA have done is unforgivable. Shame on you. It won't be forgotten.
"The home of football"? Not a chance. A "nest of thieves" - would be more appropriate.
They've stolen our game, and we want it back.
It's all about money. "The football family" is a ridiculous term. Nobody is fooled by it. The real fans should have the tickets. But the FA is only interested in squeezing as much money out of people as they can.
This is not the words of some militant supporter. These are the words of a supporter who can see what the FA has done and is doing, and knows from the actual supporter base just what damage they've done.
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Reds fan here but totally agree with the article, it's a disgrace
I agree that the 'football family' needs to be accomodated but the 'football family that has worked behind the scenes for those clubs that made it to the final, people that have supported Everton's work in the community not those getting the big handouts from the FA
Good luck in the final