‘Let’s do what we do best and finish what we started’, says supporters’ group, as they plan their big match build-up
Crystal Palace fans planning to gather in central London on Saturday ahead of the FA Cup final at Wembley have been asked by the club and supporters’ groups to avoid Trafalgar Square.
Let’s finish what we started: Eagles fans groups have agreed to gather in Covent Garden on Saturday, as they did before the semi-final
Holmesdale Fanatics had been hoping to outdo the fans’ much-admired achievements in the semi-final, which did so much to inspire their side to victory, and to stoke up the atmosphere in the hours before the 4.30pm kick-off with a mass gathering beneath Nelson’s Column.
But concerns were raised by the Metropolitan Police that a football fans’ gathering, however peaceful and well-intentioned, could lead to problems due to a “large-scale political protest” scheduled for central London around the same time.
The Fanatics have taken on board the concerns expressed by the police and the football club, and are now hoping that Covent Garden will offer a better pre-match experience, just as it did ahead of the Aston Villa semi-final.
The warning issued over the weekend said: “We are strongly advising all supporters not to attend Trafalgar Square for any pre-match celebrations or gatherings…
“Supporters who choose to gather in this area risk becoming inadvertently involved in the protest activity. Please be aware that any individuals caught up in disorder or police operations will be refused access to Wembley Stadium, regardless of their intentions.”
Change of venue: how the Holmesdale Fanatics switched their plans after warnings from the club and police
A club statement added: “We urge all supporters to celebrate responsibly and avoid locations that may compromise your ability to attend the match or reflect negatively on the club.” The Met suggested that Covent Garden would offer a more suitable venue.
Met Police sources have suggested that this Saturday represents a “perfect storm” for their increasingly stretched resources. “London is the political centre of the country, and we’re having to police demos almost every week, sometimes more than one on a day, and sometimes on Sundays as well as Saturdays.
“Factor in major sporting events at Wembley at the same time, and we are really stretched.”
The Holmesdale Fanatics have managed to raise nearly £50,000 in just a couple of weeks in a crowdfunder towards their spectacular matchday banners, flags and celebrations.
They quickly responded to the appeal, saying that while they were disappointed to hear the police’s intentions to disperse football fans from Trafalgar Square, they understood the position.
“We’re keen to avoid any issues in the run-up to the game – particularly with children present – and therefore won’t be at Trafalgar Square before the match.
“We encourage all Palace fans to get together at Covent Garden again from 11.30am for an even bigger pre-match build-up.
“Let’s do what we do best and finish what we started.”
There are also Fan Zones allocated to Palace and Manchester City supporters who have not been able to get a ticket for the final at the national stadium, with Boxpark Wembley being assigned to Palace fans.
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I know it is presumptive and probably bad luck, but if the underdogs do come good. Where is there a civic centre to end any victory parade? Some contingency must have been made, but search me where we will see Jason Perry waving the FA Cup around.