Man United complain to the FA after Arsenal fail to give them full 9,000 away allocation for next month’s FA Cup third-round tie

Manchester United have contacted the FA to express their concerns after Arsenal failed to provide them with their full allocation for their cup tie at the Emirates next month.

The two Premier League giants meet in the clash of the round on January 12 and under competition rules United are entitled to 15 percent of the stadium’s 60,000 capacity.

That means around 9,000 tickets should go to Manchester. However, Mail Sport understands that – much to United’s frustration – significantly fewer were actually offered.

Discussions have taken place between the rival clubs, but the current proposed number, believed to be less than 8,000, is not acceptable to Old Trafford officials who have now, as a last resort, escalated their case to the FA.

Insiders have revealed that United feel the Emirates is a large, modern stadium and the match kick-off has been brought forward to 3pm to avoid any crowd issues.

However, they have still faced obstacles and – despite giving the Gunners time to meet their expectations – have now reluctantly taken their case to the authorities. United declined to comment, but the view within the club is that they feel they have to fight for their fans and for the right allocation.

It is not the first time that United have encountered problems with allocations for matches in the capital. In 2022, the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust threatened legal action after reduced numbers were offered for a Premier League match at Chelsea due to police concerns.

Arsenal and the FA have been contacted for comment.