Arsenal have been slapped with a suspended £500,000 fine following a ticketing breach in their FA Cup clash with Manchester United.
In January, the Gunners were knocked out of last season’s FA Cup third-round by United following an epic match at the Emirates.
The Red Devils won on penalties following a 1-1 draw, in a game that also saw Diogo Dalot sent off and Martin Odegaard miss a penalty in regular time.
The result was tough to take for Mikel Arteta’s side and 10 months on, the match has dealt them another blow.
On Friday, the Football Association announced that Arsenal had breached FA Cup Rule 192, which states that 15 per cent of tickets issued must be made available to the away club – up to a maximum of 9,000.
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But in the end United only received 7,956 tickets – 13 per cent of the Emirates’ total capacity.
This rule only applies in the FA Cup, with Arsenal usually allocating around 3,000 tickets for away supporters in Premier League matches.
The FA referred the matter to the Professional Game Board (PGB) who have sanctioned the north London club with a £500,000 fine, which is suspended providing they comply with the regulations this season.
Arsenal felt that they were unable to comply with the rule as they could not accommodate all 9,000 fans due to safety concerns.
The section of the bottom tier of the Clock End where away fans sit is not big enough and the option to move some supporters to the upper tier was ruled out by the Safety Group due to fears over persistent standing.
The fine comes just days after it was reported that Arsenal are looking to renovate the Emirates, their home since 2006, and increase capacity to over 70,000.
This would make it the largest club football stadium in London, but would also likely mean the team relocating to Wembley as work is carried out.
For now, Arteta will be hoping his side can remain top of the table when they visit capital rivals Fulham on October 18.
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