Manchester United’s potential FA Cup tie against non-league club Eastleigh could be MOVED to a neutral ground due to safety concerns over Silverlake Stadium’s 5,200 capacity

Manchester United’s FA Cup fourth round match may have to take place at a neutral venue if Eastleigh get past Newport.

United booked their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup with a routine 2-0 win over Wigan at the DW Stadium, thanks to goals from Diogo Dalot and Bruno Fernandes.

Eastleigh, meanwhile, held Newport to a 1-1 draw at Rodney Parade and will host the League Two side in a replay at the Silverlake Stadium on January 16.

But the ground may not be deemed suitable to host United in the next round due to safety concerns arising from its capacity of 5,192. Newport, meanwhile, should have no problems as Rodney Parade’s has a capacity of 7,850.

“The logistical issues for a club our size when playing against a club as big as Manchester United means we need to explore and communicate certain preliminary plans in the hope of reducing the understandably high volume of calls we are experiencing,” the National League club said in a statement on Wednesday.

The National League club plays at the Silverlake Stadium, which has a capacity of 5,192 people

‘We cannot confirm potential ticket allocations or prices, but we can confirm that the match will be played at our home stadium unless our safety advisory group believes the club cannot safely host the match, which we believe is extremely unlikely.

“We are exploring the possibility of expanding our temporary seating to increase capacity so more fans can attend if we are successful.”

FA Cup rules state that the Safety Advisory Group’s assessment must be completed within three days of the draw or the date on which ‘the home club’s participation in the relevant match is confirmed’.

In Eastleigh’s case that would mean January 19, three days after their replay against Newport and eight days before the fourth round tie.

Eastleigh forced a replay on Saturday after a 1-1 draw with Newport at Rodney Parade

United booked their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup with a 2-0 win over Wigan

Erik ten Hag’s men travel to Newport or Eastleigh in the next round later this month

Provided Eastleigh gets through the replay, the venue could be moved to a neutral ground if the Safety Advisory Group deems Silverlake Stadium unsuitable to host the match.

However, the final decision rests with the FA.

“The association will decide whether or not the match may be played on such a ground or not, taking into account the assessment and any supporting documentation.” Rule 9(a) of the FA Cup Handbook states.

‘In the event that the association allows and requires the match to be played at that ground, the away club may still lodge a protest under the provision of competition rule 9(b), if applicable.’

Should Silverlake Stadium be deemed unsuitable to host the fourth round tie, the match will be played at the nearest ground deemed suitable by the FA and the Safety Advisory Group.

According to Rule 9(a)(iii) of the FA Handbook: ‘In the event that the Association decides not to stage the match at that ground, the first alternative ground shall be the nearest ground identified by the local enforcement authorities as is considered suitable. authority and/or police (taking into account all relevant circumstances), subject to the permission of the professional playing board.’

In 2003, the FA attempted to close a lucrative and controversial loophole that allowed clubs to switch the tie to their opponents’ home ground, putting an end to smaller clubs wanting to benefit from bigger revenues.

Mailsport has contacted the FA for comment.