'We will play for the people who come to Wembley and for the people who would like to come but cannot' - Pep Guardiola hits back at criticism as Manchester City fail to sell out allocation for FA Cup semi-final

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola (Image credit: Getty Images)

Manchester City played at Wembley for the 28th time since it reopened in 2007 as they beat Nottingham Forest 2-0 to book their place in the FA Cup final.

Goals from Rico Lewis and Josko Gvardiol sent the Manchester City faithful home happy and kept the chances of a trophy this season alive.

However, it has emerged that Man City failed to sell a large proportion of their allocation at Wembley, with a huge chunk of their section viably empty, prompting rival fans to call out the level of support shown to their team.

Pep Guardiola suggest FA cup semi-finals could be played up north to save fans from rising costs

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has found rotation tough at the Etihad Stadium

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola (Image credit: Getty Images)

A page on X (formerly Twitter) labelled the City fans as 'embarrassing' while other suggested that the fans weren't attending due to the clubs poor performances this season.

Questioned were levelled at Pep Guardiola in his pre-match press conference where he supported his sides fan base, and suggested that the rising cost of match tickets and travel to London make it difficult for many fans to afford the trip each time.

Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne is stuck between a rock and a hard place

Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne will be leaving at the end of the season (Image credit: Getty Images)

"One day maybe the FA Cup will be played here in the north," Guardiola said.

"They will come here to Old Trafford or Etihad or Anfield or Goodison Park. I understand the people, I'm not the person to say.

"All around the world people suffer economically and I understand completely it's not easy for them. We will play for the people who come to Wembley and for the people who would like to come but cannot.

"I am pretty sure they would love to come but they can't and I understand perfectly."

General view inside Manchester City's Etihad Stadium in February 2025.

Manchester City's Etihad Stadium is receiving an expansion that will take its capacity up to 60,000 fans (Image credit: Getty Images)

Guardiola added: "The fans cannot come because the situation is difficult for travel, the people are at work on Monday and maybe will be back late, the prices of the tickets.

"I understand completely that they don't come. I'm pretty sure they would love to go.

"We have to do it with or without them - our job is to do our best. It's better with our people, but I'm not complaining at all - completely the opposite. I am alongside the people who would like to come but cannot."

Wembley Stadium currently plays host to the Carabao Cup Final, the FA Cup semi-finals and final, the Community Shield and several England matches a year

Wembley Stadium currently plays host to the Carabao Cup Final, the FA Cup semi-finals and final, the Community Shield and several England matches a year (Image credit: PA Images)

On the Tuesday before their trip to Wembley, Man City fans protested the ticket prices before their game at Aston Villa, with a fan group claiming that matchday tickets for adults are as expensive as £88 with child's prices being just £30 cheaper at £58.

A FA spokesperson told the BBC that "Wembley has the largest capacity in the country, and therefore permits the biggest numbers of fans possible from each club to support their team in person".

Ewan Gennery
Freelance writer

Ewan is a freelance writer and social media manager who has worked for The Athletic, GOAL, 90min and OneFootball. From Gelsenkirchen to Riyadh, he has covered some of the biggest games in football in his three years in the industry.