…when he said, "Once the decision is taken there is no point going on about it. Cardiff is the venue for the final, so the more times you go down there the more chance you have to get acquainted with it."
Still, the Times report that he has finally come down on the fans’s side.
‘Ferguson had previously resisted invitations to join the condemnation to relocate both games to the venue where the final takes place, pointing out that this had been the case in previous years and saying that “once the decision is taken there is no point going on about it”, but yesterday he seemed outraged, blaming Arsenal for a decision that, he said, had been made without consideration of the thoughts or safety of supporters.
‘“We’re looking forward to the semi-final (against Newcastle United on Sunday), but it’s a terrible burden on the fans with it being at Cardiff, particularly the Newcastle fans,” he said. “It’s a long journey compared to, say, Leeds. I just don’t understand it. Apparently it was Arsenal who forced this through. I think they wanted the semi-final last season (against United) at Cardiff instead of Villa Park.
‘“I saw two differing views, one from Mark Longden, of Imusa (the Independent Manchester United Supporters Association), and the other from the editor of a newspaper. The editor said our fans were arrogant and that they’ve had plenty of semi-finals, whereas Newcastle haven’t. I don’t think that’s the point. The point is the cost to fans. And how many accidents will there be on the way down?”
’Ferguson’s comments will almost certainly have met approval from Blackburn Rovers, who are struggling to sell more than half of their allocated 30,000 tickets for their match against Arsenal on Saturday, but the London club, seemingly sympathetic to the thrust of his argument, were mystified by his suggestion that they had played a part in the decision. Officials pointed out that Arsène Wenger, the manager, and Patrick Vieira, the captain, had criticised the decision to play in Cardiff.
It might take more evidence than that to convince Ferguson, who has promoted many conspiracy theories about Arsenal’s “position within the game”, but, while David Dein, the Arsenal vice-chairman, fills a similar position with the FA, it should be pointed out that David Gill, his United counterpart, stands on the Challenge Cup Committee, which took the decision last summer before it was approved by the FA’s board.’
The FA have responded, a spokesman said: "Every season we are under pressure to find large neutral semi-final venues to maximise the number of fans. As a venue, Cardiff is the largest available to the FA.
"The decision to take the semi-finals to Cardiff was publicly announced in September after being approved by the FA board and Challenge Cup committee which includes representation from the professional game and Premier League.''