Football fans rage at 'shocking' FA Cup scandal as Man City host Liverpool

Jack Otway
Sat, 04 Apr 2026 11:56:04 +0000

Football fans have vented their fury on social media, with Manchester City's FA Cup showdown with Liverpool to be streamed on TNT Sports today.

Pep Guardiola and Arne Slot's men will lock horns with a place in the last four of the prestigious tournament on the line.

For many years, the FA Cup was protected. Fans were able to watch on BBC or ITV but, ever since the start of the current campaign, things have changed.

City and Liverpool, as two fierce rivals, are teams many fans would want to watch. But supporters face paying big subscription fees to witness the action unfold.

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And fans on social media have expressed their displeasure, with one user writing: "The fact the Man City v Liverpool FA-Cup Quarter-Final is behind a paywall (TNT) is shocking…

"I understand it needs the money to stay afloat but the FA-Cup should always be on free terrestrial TV…"

A second fumed: "FA Cup being on TNT is actually egregious."

Another opined: "Showing the FA cup on TNT is a disgrace."

And a fourth raged: "Shame on the @FA for sticking the @EmiratesFACup behind a paywall. Kids today just don’t get the chance to enjoy football.

"They will never know how great we had it in the late 90s & 00s with free to air Fa cup and CL ties, I suppose money really has ruined football."

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City head into the match fresh from their Carabao Cup final triumph over Arsenal last time out.

One player who has struggled in recent times is Phil Foden, however, with the England star also toiling during the international break.

Guardiola insists, however, that the 25-year-old will come good and a slight dip in form is understandable for his age.

“Until November, along with Erling Haaland he was a massively important player,” he said. “Erling and Phil were the only ones making goals and assists, it’s not a century ago.

“He’s not 33 with incredible experience; he’s 25 and still he is growing and developing as a football player."

Meanwhile, Liverpool are playing for the first time since Mohamed Salah announced he'd be leaving at the end of the season.

Arne Slot paid tribute to the veteran prior to today's contest, with the Dutchman saying: "I knew, so it wasn't new news to me, but I think it was very good to hear and see all the reactions of his team-mates, but also from everywhere around the world, for what he has done for this football club and for football in general.

"I've mainly seen this as a fan, so watching football, seeing him playing at Liverpool, doing all these special things that he's done for this club. Of course, in the fixtures against [Manchester] City but in all the other fixtures as well. He broke record after record after record.

"Then I started working with him and already the first day I was impressed by his professionalism because as with any season, it starts with a test that shows how much they did in the off-season and he beat all of them. He was the fittest player that came back, and I think that's the ideal situation that you want as a manager: that your star player comes back as fit as he did.

"He had nothing to prove, but for himself he had a lot to prove because Mo always thinks he has to prove something every three days. That hunger never stops and that is something that I find most special about him.

"So many good players around the world [and] he's definitely one of them in the last 10 years, that everybody talks about being one of the best there is and was in the last 10 years."