Sheffield United & Man City fans face semi final chaos after huge price hikes - up to 192%

Supporters of Sheffield United and Manchester City could face travel chaos in London for their FA Cup semi-final at Wembley next month.

The semi-finals of the famous old cup competition will take place over the weekend of April 22 and 23 at the national stadium - with United’s clash with the favourites expected to take place on the Saturday. Manchester United, who face Brighton in the other semi-final, are in European action on the previous Thursday and are likely to be granted the extra day to travel back from Seville and recover.

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Travel plans for all supporters heading to Wembley that weekend have been complicated by the timing of the London Marathon, which takes place on April 23. The date and kick-off time for United’s semi-final has also not been confirmed by the FA, with prices seemingly rising by the day on accomodation all over the city.

Hotels near Wembley have cashed in on the rising demand for rooms. A search on a well-known hotel booking website today showed a room at the Hilton Wembley on April 15, the weekend before the semi-finals, would cost £175. A week later, fans of either of the four clubs at Wembley that weekend would have to fork out £511 for the same room - a price hike of 192 per cent.

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They are far from alone, with the St George Hotel hiking prices by 107 per cent from the previous weekend. Even budget options like Premier Inn Wembley are £261 per night for the Saturday semi-final night, up 63 per cent from the £160 a week earlier.

Elsewhere in London the trend continues. The Trafalgar St. James hotel, in Trafalgar Square, was already £445 for a night on April 15 but is now available to book for a whopping £1,197 on the 22nd - an 168 per cent increase.

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The cost has seen United supporters decamp to the outskirts of London and beyond, with plans to take advantage of London’s rail network and travel to Wembley by train. Some are staying in Luton, 25 miles away from Wembley, or Milton Keynes to get around the price hike - or even avoiding staying over completely and planning to return on the same day, dependent on reasonable kick-off times and the avoidance of extra-time and penalties.

Ticket information for the cup clash will be published after the date and kick-off times have been confirmed. Last year, the Saturday semi-final between Manchester City and Liverpool kicked off at 3.30pm while the Sunday clash between Chelsea and Crystal Palace got underway at 4.30pm.

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