The FA encountered a supporter backlash on Wednesday morning after sending a pair of FA Cup Final tickets into space ahead of Saturday's showpiece between Aston Villa and Arsenal at Wembley.
Two tickets were launched on a balloon into the atmosphere from Wembley's pitch at 6am to mark the beginning of an epic game of 'finders keepers'. The matchday parcel travelled 29km into space before the balloon burst and The FA posted updates from their twitter feed as the tickets tumbled back to earth.
The prize package landed in Broad Oak, Kent just after 9am and The FA are yet to confirm whether they've been found. But before the competition reached a conclusion, fans on social media hit back at the publicity stunt with so many 'real fans' desperate for a ticket.
Thousands of Arsenal and Aston Villa supporters missed out on final tickets after both clubs were granted an allocation of just 25,000, filling just over half of Wembley's 90,000 capacity.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FACupFinal?src=hash" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-39571-https://twitter.com/hashtag/FACupFinal?src=hash" data-vars-event-id="c23">#FACupFinal</a> tickets have landed safely in Kent after an <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FACupAdventure?src=hash" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-39571-https://twitter.com/hashtag/FACupAdventure?src=hash" data-vars-event-id="c23">#FACupAdventure</a> to top them all!!! <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://www.awin1.com/awclick.php?mid=9&id=222025&p=http://t.co/44C4ROfaCN" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-39571-http://t.co/44C4ROfaCN" data-vars-event-id="c23">pic.twitter.com/44C4ROfaCN</a>— The FA (@FA) <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/FA/status/603502253635428352" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-39571-https://twitter.com/FA/status/603502253635428352" data-vars-event-id="c23">May 27, 2015</a>
The Football Supporters’ Federation have written to every professional club urging collective action to change the ticket distribution for the final, with 17,000 going to Club Wembley members and a further 23,000 given to volunteers and the wider 'football family'.
Arsenal's route to the FA Cup Final
One fan accused The FA of rubbing salt in the wounds of ticketless supporters with Wednesday's stunt.
Here's the best of the social media backlash:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" lang="en"><p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/FA" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-39571-https://twitter.com/FA" data-vars-event-id="c23">@FA</a> so some random fan will find these tickets when they could have gone to an Arsenal season ticket holder. Joke.— Chetan! (@Chet1_) <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/Chet1_/status/603450100610924544" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-39571-https://twitter.com/Chet1_/status/603450100610924544" data-vars-event-id="c23">May 27, 2015</a>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" lang="en"><p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/FA" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-39571-https://twitter.com/FA" data-vars-event-id="c23">@FA</a> there was people queuing overnight for them and missing out...— George (@gbosworth1) <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/gbosworth1/status/603450973131005952" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-39571-https://twitter.com/gbosworth1/status/603450973131005952" data-vars-event-id="c23">May 27, 2015</a>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" lang="en"><p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/FA" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-39571-https://twitter.com/FA" data-vars-event-id="c23">@FA</a> <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/Arsenal" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-39571-https://twitter.com/Arsenal" data-vars-event-id="c23">@Arsenal</a> cant wait for them to land in the atlantic so nobody can claim them and the seats are empty— The Arsenal Donkey (@alundennis) <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/alundennis/status/603451332285112320" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-39571-https://twitter.com/alundennis/status/603451332285112320" data-vars-event-id="c23">May 27, 2015</a>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" lang="en"><p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/FA" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-39571-https://twitter.com/FA" data-vars-event-id="c23">@FA</a> <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/BBCMOTD" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-39571-https://twitter.com/BBCMOTD" data-vars-event-id="c23">@BBCMOTD</a> seriously...There are enough spare tickets to send some to space!Anyone else think what a waste <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/priorities?src=hash" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-39571-https://twitter.com/hashtag/priorities?src=hash" data-vars-event-id="c23">#priorities</a> <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Realfans?src=hash" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-39571-https://twitter.com/hashtag/Realfans?src=hash" data-vars-event-id="c23">#Realfans</a> <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FACup?src=hash" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-39571-https://twitter.com/hashtag/FACup?src=hash" data-vars-event-id="c23">#FACup</a>— Jo Rutherford (@jovilla_1981) <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/jovilla_1981/status/603452535630888960" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-39571-https://twitter.com/jovilla_1981/status/603452535630888960" data-vars-event-id="c23">May 27, 2015</a>
Read More
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/FA" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-39571-https://twitter.com/FA" data-vars-event-id="c23">@FA</a> what's with all the negative comments , I'm a Gillingham fan if I find them I'll give them to deserving arsenal or villa fans .— Gary Norman (@garynorm) <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/garynorm/status/603480305920532480" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-39571-https://twitter.com/garynorm/status/603480305920532480" data-vars-event-id="c23">May 27, 2015</a>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none" lang="en"><p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/FA" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-39571-https://twitter.com/FA" data-vars-event-id="c23">@FA</a> You are aware that 000's of real fans can't get tickets due to your mad ticket policy? Now u rub salt in wounds with this insane stunt.— Russell Bridge (@RussellBridge1) <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/RussellBridge1/status/603457738564358144" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-39571-https://twitter.com/RussellBridge1/status/603457738564358144" data-vars-event-id="c23">May 27, 2015</a>
