Manchester United have written to the Premier League over fixture scheduling leaving a Bank Holiday travel nightmare for fans next month.
United will face Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on May 6 at 8pm but the fixture is on Early May Bank Holiday and it will be impossible to travel back to Manchester after the final whistle. Fans have been offered free coach travel to London for the match.
“The role that match-going fans play in the success of the Premier League should never be overlooked or taken for granted, and scheduling fixtures without consideration on the impact of the fans often provides barriers to attendance,” said Rick McGagh, United’s director of fan engagement.
United also play in the FA Cup semi-final against Coventry on Apr 21, which is a Sunday, before the Palace fixture. The Wembley kick-off time of 3.30pm will also leave a headache for fans getting back to Manchester.
“We share your frustrations and appreciate the logistical difficulties that have been created for our fans by this fixture being scheduled for an 8pm kick off on bank holiday Monday in London,” read a statement from United.
“We want to inform you that we are writing to the Premier League to this effect and will be asking for greater consideration to be given to match-going fans when agreeing fixture schedules with broadcasters.
“To support our travelling fans, we are pleased that together with our partner Adidas, we are able to offer free coach travel for supporters making the trip to Selhurst Park from Manchester with our official coach partner, One Club United.”
United’s injury crisis has deepened with Raphael Varane ruled out for the next three weeks of the end-of-season run-in.
The 30-year-old suffered the muscle injury against Chelsea a week ago and missed the 2-2 draw against Liverpool at the weekend, with scans ruling him out “for the next few weeks” according to the club.
He is set to miss the FA Cup semi-final against Coventry at Wembley on Apr 21 but there are hopes he will be back for the last matches of the season in May, with United chasing European qualification.
Erik ten Hag currently has Luke Shaw, Lisandro Martinez, Victor Lindelof and Anthony Martial on the sidelines, while Marcus Rashford came off against Liverpool. Jonny Evans also picked up a problem at the weekend and will miss this weekend’s clash against Bournemouth.
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