By Isaac Seelochan
Copyright dailystar
Arsenal have been hit by a suspended Football Association fine over January’s FA Cup clash against Manchester United. The Gunners have been handed a £500,000 suspended fine by the FA.
The Professional Game Board (PGB) has slapped Arsenal with a sanction for violating FA Cup Rule 192 during their third round tie against Manchester United in January.
This rule stipulates that, barring semi-final or final matches, the away club is entitled to claim 15 per cent of the tickets issued.
Manchester United were owed 9,000 tickets for the match at the Emirates Stadium, which they clinched on penalties following a 1-1 draw, but the club only received 7,956.
The issue was escalated to the PGB, who declared that Arsenal had failed to adhere to the rules.
Their £500,000 fine is suspended provided Arsenal affirm their ability to meet the ticketing requirements for their 2025-26 FA Cup third round tie, and show ongoing compliance for further rounds of this season’s competition if they progress.
Safety concerns were cited as the reason why United did not receive the full 9,000 away allocation, with some of the seats in question located in the upper tier of the Emirates Stadium.
Persistent standing is not allowed in the upper tier due to safety reasons, hence away fans cannot be accommodated there.
The layout of the Emirates also means that 9,000 away fans cannot all be situated in the lower tier, leading to a dispute over the remaining 1,000 seats.
A proposed solution to ensure the tickets were utilised was to distribute them to neutrals, such as those involved in community or grassroots projects, but no consensus was reached.
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