Manchester United have failed in their bid to have 1,000 seats given to neutrals at this weekend’s FA Cup clash with Arsenal.
Officials at Old Trafford were left frustrated when, despite several pleas, they were only given an allocation shy of 8,000 - instead of the 9,000 they were entitled to under competition rules.
Safety concerns were raised as the reason behind the reduction, with the seats in question in an upper tier of the hosts' 60,000-capacity Emirates Stadium.
United had offered to handpick recipients, and ensure they went to families and children linked to the club’s charity arm.