Middlesbrough have voiced their strong disapproval at their allocation of tickets for the Capital One Cup tie against local rivals Sunderland later this month.
Boro have been limited to just 2,800 tickets for the fixture when they should be entitled to 15% of the stadium capacity under Football League rules.
But the Wearsiders are quoting an issue of ground safety and evidence of previous bad behaviour by visiting fans as the reason for their decision.
“We are extremely disappointed with the decision,” Chief Executive Neil Bausor told Boro’s official website. “We had hoped that Sunderland, after reviewing their risk assessment, would have made a larger allocation available to our fans. But they concluded after that review that they could not safely manage more than 2,800 Middlesbrough fans in the Stadium of Light.
“Our aim has been to give as many of our supporters as possible the opportunity to see this eagerly anticipated cup tie. We know it is something our fans feel passionately about,” he added. “However, the League has had to accept the request of Sunderland AFC to give us a reduced allocation and, regrettably, we have had to accept it too.”
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