Man City fans boycotting Arsenal game need wider backing to make point

If Manchester City are the kings of Europe after their magnificent Treble, their fans are still being treated as jokers.

Anyone travelling down to Wembley for the Community Shield in August won't have it as bad as the tens of thousands who endured miserable journeys to and from the Champions League final, but the organisers of the season opener have still made it as inconvenient as possible for the team travelling the furthest. Those making the journey were already braced for costs of over £100 on the trains (if they end up running) but a 5.30pm kick-off on Sunday is about as needless as it gets; anyone wanting to stay over to enjoy the win will now have to take a day off work, while even those hotfooting it back to Manchester will do well to make it back before midnight.

Little wonder the 1894 Supporters' Club has taken a stand, calling on fans to boycott the game and instead make a donation or offer what they would have spent on a ticket to MCFC Fans Foodbank Support - a group of City fans who volunteer collect at every home game for Manchester Central Foodbank. They are in the process of arranging a spot in Manchester where fans can watch the match in August and also help battle food poverty.

Nobody is forcing fans to boycott and nobody will think any less of those who go, but the action from the two fan groups to put the charity into Charity Shield is an attempt to make a point about what little thought is given to supporters and turn a negative into a positive for the local community. The fact that 85 per cent on the Blue Moon Supporters Forum are in favour of the action, and more than 100 donors have raised over £2,000 for the foodbank in under 24 hours, points to the strength of feeling among Blues.

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