It’s one of the oldest running jokes in the Premier League over recent years, and frankly Manchester City fans are getting sick of it.
Every time they play at home, and every time empty seats are spotted on television, the word ‘Emptihad’ seems to make an appearance.
While it’s true there are plenty of seats still available for the club’s Champions League return match at home to Dynamo Kiev, there’s surely an explanation for the swathes of sky blue we often see when Manuel Pellegrini’s team play at the Etihad Stadium.
There must be a reason for it all, we thought, so we tried to get the answer straight from the horse’s mouth.
Serious question: Man City are regularly mocked for empty seats. Is this a fallacy/exaggerated? What's the plan to fill an enlarged stadium?
— JOE (@JOE_co_uk) February 24, 2016
While it would have probably been excusable for City fans to go off on one, they’re clearly a reasonable bunch based on our interactions.
Here are a few of the explanations given for a phenomenon they’d surely rather do without.
The attendances for league games are regularly above 50,000, which isn’t at all bad for a stadium which holds little more than that
https://twitter.com/HeydemannLuukas/status/702535802815954945
@JOE_co_uk the stats talk we have the third highest attendance in England, United fans made this up cos they have nothing else
— happy flowers team (@ManCityKD) February 24, 2016
So it could well be an issue which affects plenty of clubs, from the top to the bottom of the Premier League
https://twitter.com/MCX316/status/702538654879715328
https://twitter.com/joemayyy/status/702536004390031365
One scenario which isn’t common throughout the league concerns the family section, and plenty of supporters mentioned this to us
https://twitter.com/MCX316/status/702539421116198913
https://twitter.com/MCX316/status/702539554167898113
@JOE_co_uk The problem being the family stand to the left.Having to buy a child's ticket as well as your own.Not ideal when you only need 1
— MarkMCFC10 CHAMPIONS OF ENGLAND AND EUROPE! 🏆🏆🏆 (@MarkMCFC10) February 24, 2016
@JOE_co_uk family stand has been a disaster though
— Brian McCormack (@CelbridgeBlue) February 24, 2016
There’s also a chance that the timing of the Kiev tie has played a part
https://twitter.com/niallmc10/status/702540680548257793
There’s one final theory which we hadn’t considered, and who knows, there could be something to it
https://twitter.com/mrcross89/status/702538825696935936
