Sadiq Khan has issued a statement following the controversial decision to restrict the National League Play-Off Final tickets to just 17,500 per team at Wembley this weekend.
The game is scheduled to kick-off on Sunday afternoon and will be played between Oldham Athletic and Southend United.
Oldham were relegated from the Football League in 2022 but boast a historic fanbase, and supporters were left bitterly disappointed by the ticket snub.
Southend, previously managed by Sol Campbell, were relegated to the National League the season prior, and their sizeable amount of supporters were also left disappointed by the significant reduction in available tickets.
Oldham beat York City, who finished 23 points above them, 3-0 in the semi-final
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Both clubs were confident of selling significantly more tickets, and feel as though many fans were left bitterly disappointed.
The decision came due to Wembley Park Station being closed for engineering works, with the FA and Transport for London fearing the closure would make crowd control more difficult.
It left fans and pundits alike to question the decision, and whether the engineering works could have simply been delayed in order to allow the fans of such prestigious clubs to enjoy a rare day out at Wembley.
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Wembley Park is closed over the weekend for planned engineering works
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With Wembley hosting a plethora of finals recently, supporters of both clubs, who sold out their initial allocation, felt their promotion to the football league had not been prioritised.
However, Khan, along with the Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham, have since announced there would be additional tickets available, to take the total attendance to nearly 50,000.
On the decision, Khan said: “I recognise how big an occasion this game is for both sets of supporters who have seen their clubs endure extremely difficult times in recent years.
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"I am sure this match will be an occasion to remember for fans of Oldham Athletic and Southend United.”
Burnham added: “Oldham Athletic and Southend United are two proud clubs with a long history in the Football League.
“This chance to get back where they belong was always going to mean a great deal to both sets of supporters and it is clear many would have missed out at a lower capacity.”
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London Mayor Sadiq Khan recognises 'how big an occasion' the game is for fans
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Both clubs have endured difficult financial struggles in recent years, which has resulted in the clubs suffering multiple relegations.
The final presents a rare day of success for two teams that have suffered, and fans had been left fuming by the decision to reduce the ticket allocation.
Oldham seconded their fans’ opinion, releasing a strong statement on the snub: “Oldham Athletic shares the deep frustration felt by our supporters following the announcement of the initial ticket allocation for the National League Promotion Final at Wembley Stadium.
“Given the size and loyalty of our fanbase, and the significance of this occasion, we believe the current allocation falls short of expectations and does not reflect the demand from our supporters.
“Since the allocation was confirmed, the club has been in daily contact with the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, who has been engaging directly with London Mayor Sadiq Khan and various authorities in a bid to increase the available capacity.”
Ultimately, the protests were successful, and now over 48,000 supporters will be able to attend the game on Sunday.
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