FA Set For £1m Loss Due To Strike

The Football Association is set to lose close to a speculated figure of £1m after agreeing to issue a full refund to fans unable to get to Wembley Stadium because of a 48-hour Tube strike in London.

The strike will ensure that 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.

Commented Ian Watmore, the new FA chief executive: ‘Refunds will be available to ticket-holders who do not attend. 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 although the governing body is still hoping for an attendance of 50,000.