Jordan Henderson Slams FA For Refusing to Relocate Liverpool’s Cup semi-final

Jordan Henderson has criticized the decision to keep Liverpool’s Wembley battle with Manchester City at Wembley and expressed hope for the return of neutral venues for FA Cup semi-finals.

Liverpool captain Henderson has spent the week considering the repercussions of no train travel to London from the north over the Easter weekend and is upset that a solution allowing the fixture to be played closer to home has not been found.

The Football Association said on Friday that they will offer 100 complimentary buses, evenly split between the two clubs, to give a path to Wembley; the services, which will operate from Anfield and the Etihad Stadium, are expected to transport 5,000 supporters.

City have already stated that they will provide 50 coaches to London at a cost to fans, while Liverpool are still formulating arrangements for assisting their supporters’ journeys.

The kick-off time on April 16 has been moved up to 3.30pm, and despite the fact that just a handful of Premier League games are scheduled on that Saturday afternoon, special permission has been granted for the event to be televised live during what would normally be a blackout.

However, it is far from an acceptable ending, with Liverpool and Manchester City supporters unified in their disapproval. Therefore, it was crucial that Henderson, who will start for England against Switzerland in a friendly at Wembley on Saturday, talked with such conviction about the matter.

‘I’ve been thinking more about the fans,’ Henderson explained. ‘I believe it is their day in many ways, and (it is difficult) not being able to travel to London for various reasons – the cost (involved).

‘So, in my mind, it would make sense to move it to a (different) neutral stadium – all the more so given the fact that two teams from the north-west are involved. That is merely my viewpoint. Obviously, there are issues within that, which I’m sure the FA must resolve.’

‘However, looking at the situation as a fan – which is probably the most important thing for me, and something we’ve learned over the last couple of years is how critical fans are to football – it’s quite frustrating to see that it’s a struggle. . It must be costly for them to travel there.’