The English Football Association (FA) could lose £1 million after agreeing to issue a full refund to fans unable to get to Wembley Stadium because of a 48-hour Tube strike in London.
According to UK newspaper the Times, there will be no transport available by Tube and car parking is limited, leading to fears that many of the 63,000 ticket-holders will not attend the England-Andorra 2010 World Cup qualifier.
England’s friendly against Chile at Wembley drew 15,628 people at the time of a Tube strike in May 1989, about 10,000 fewer than for the previous home friendly against Denmark.
“Refunds will be available to ticket-holders who do not attend,” said Ian Watmore, FA chief executive. “Given the strike, the journey home will be difficult and supporters should make their own arrangements and not rely on public transport. Supporters should plan to travel as early as possible. Travelling in London will not be straightforward and they should expect a disrupted journey.”
The FA took the decision to limit ticket sales to 70,000 last week in anticipation of the Tube strike. The FA is still hoping for an attendance of 50,000.
Although areas of Soho Square have mooted the idea of taking legal advice to recoup some of the losses, it is believed such action will not be taken.
