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Manchester United coach Darren Fletcher has slammed the handling of the Football Association Youth Cup final, saying it appears opponents Manchester City have “taken over” the competition.
United lost Final 2-1 at Joey Stadium To complete a disappointing end to the campaign.
Fletcher’s side lost the Premier League Under-18 Cup on penalties to Crystal Palace and finished second to City in the Premier League North after conceding a stoppage-time equaliser.
Although the former United and Scotland midfielder said Oliver Reiss’ City side were the better team in Thursday’s Youth Cup final, he was not happy with the way he handled the event.
City rejected United’s offer to host the match at Old Trafford after the Blues said it could not be held at the Etihad Stadium due to ongoing construction work.
The decision upset United academy staff as they felt it denied players from both sides the opportunity to play a showcase final in what they felt was a fitting atmosphere. The Joey Stadium is City’s 7,000 capacity home for their academy and women’s teams, and is adjacent to the club’s main stadium.
As it turned out, only the United section was full, despite Manchester City officials talking about selling it out, leaving plenty of seats empty in the home section for a match watched by both City’s Pep Guardiola and United’s Michael Carrick, the first-team boss.
Fletcher was further annoyed by the over-the-top manner in which City’s players and coaches were announced as they went to collect their winners’ medals from EFL chairman Rick Parry.
“I’m disappointed in the FA for everything that has happened around this game: for the position, for everything,” United Under-18s coach Fletcher said.
“You have to respect the opposition. But not when Man City are winning the FA Youth Cup.
“It’s an FA competition. It shouldn’t have been like this.
“I’ve never heard individual coaches shouting and every player shouting. It doesn’t happen in cup finals.
“It’s an FA competition and it felt like it was a Man City competition for the whole build-up to the game and how we had to deal with it at the end.
“That’s my one gripe for tonight. But the best team wins, congratulations to them.”
It is understood that Fletcher aired his views forcefully, shouting at FA officials during the post-match presentation.
Fletcher is also clearly unhappy with the timing of the Premier League 2 play-off final at Brighton.
That game forms part of a double-header at the Amex Stadium this Saturday evening in the Under-21s competition, with a 19:30 BST kick-off. This followed a Women’s Super League game at the stadium earlier in the day.
For a significant portion of Fletcher’s side, who are PL2 regulars, the proximity to the Youth Cup final makes the game difficult.
Also, it means any young players are unlikely to feature in United’s Premier League game with Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford on Sunday lunchtime.
“We are now dealing with a very difficult dynamic in terms of these youth fixtures, which is disappointing,” Fletcher said.
“48 hours after an Under-21 game, some of our players are not going to feel it.
“Hopefully people will take a step back now that they’ve moved on from this. There’s a lot to learn for the Premier League and the FA for these historic competitions.”
The city declined to comment on Fletcher’s allegations.
