'A complete shambles!': FA Cup semi-final train 'farce' sees Man City fans call for venue change

Manchester City fans should be looking forward to what could be a classic FA Cup semi-final showdown with Liverpool next month, but instead, their plans have been plunged into chaos.

The match is scheduled to take place across the weekend of April 16 and 17, but due to rail cancellations, the Blues face a struggle to get down to the home of football. Engineering works between London Euston and Milton Keynes Central mean that there are no direct train services between Manchester Piccadilly and the capital over Easter weekend, with Liverpool fans faced with a similar situation.

In addition, if the match kicks off at 17:30 (as has been the case with recent semi-finals, then City fans will have to leave Wembley at half-time to stand a chance of catching the last train that would get them home that night. Alternatively, the 21:32 from London St Pancras - with a change at Sheffield - would get supporters to Manchester for 08:45 the following day.

READ MORE: Man City fans face travel nightmare for FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool FC

It's a ridiculous situation, but a depressingly familiar one. Not for the first time - and likely not the last - governing bodies (in this case the FA and National Rail) have failed to communicate and schedule events in a way that minimises disruption to supporters.

A cup semi-final should be one of the highlights of the season, but this is just the latest incident proving the disregard shown to fans by decision-makers. It's fair to say that City fans on Twitter are not happy about it.

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