Embarrassment as 20,000 seats are left unsold for semi-finals

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Neither club have sold their full allocation for Sunday's game and on Wednesday they each had about 9,000 tickets left.

Although there is still time for the potentially huge gaps at the stadium to be filled, the take-up is a poor reflection of what should be a prestige encounter.

The lack of enthusiasm for the semi-finals is also reflected in the fact Watford have not sold out for their game against Manchester United at the much smaller venue of Villa Park on Saturday.

They still had about 2,000 tickets available on Wednesday night and United are the only club in the last four whose seats did not go on general sale to their fans.

The snub by supporters is a huge embarrassment to the clubs, sponsors, television companies and in particular to the Football Association, who have gone to great lengths this season to promote the FA Cup as the final returns to Wembley for the first time since 2000.

Furthermore, the FA confirmed that from next season both Cup semi-finals will be played at Wembley but filling its 90,000 capacity looks a tough task based on the sales for this weekend's clashes.

The reasons for the apparent apathy vary.

Chelsea fans have blamed the time and cost involved getting to and from Manchester for a 4pm kick-off.

Ticket pricing, with the most expensive £55, does not appear to have been the most significant single factor.

An FA spokesman denied the country's biggest cup competition was losing its appeal. He said: "The FA Cup is more popular than ever. This season the third, fourth and fifth rounds saw the best average crowds for about 20 years."