Supporters of Cardiff City FC have been warned that they could be the lastest club to visit the Stadium of Light with a reduced ticket allocation.
Leeds and West Ham’s fans came to Sunderland during December with allocations reduced to 1,500 following instructions from the independent FA Safety Advisory Committee, because some of their fans insist on standing at games.
And now Bluebirds supporters look like they could be the latest to be affected by this ruling.
Ken Scott, chairman of the safety advisory group at the Stadium of Light, said: “When people stand they take up more space, aisles become blocked meaning that police, stewards and people like the Red Cross have great difficulty getting in and out.
“There is also a serious customer care issue. When fans stand, the people behind them have to stand also, or lose sight of what’s on the pitch. So if they won’t listen to regulation they should at least respect the views of their fellow fans.”
But a spokesman for the Official Cardiff City Supporters’ Club, said: “If people around me are sitting, I sit down – I understand about the customer care issue. But by reducing the numbers of tickets you’ll have the seats filled to capacity, so if someone does stand up, there isn’t another seat for the person behind them to move to.
“We stand because we’re passionate. You can’t get behind your team sitting in your seat. We believe we should be given an area where safe standing is practical, because people want to stand.”
The FA Safety Advisory Committee will meet on Monday 10th January to decide on the ticket allocation Cardiff supporters will get for this fixture, which takes place on Saturday 26th February.
