Manchester United coach Darren Fletcher has condemned the Football Association’s handling of the Youth Cup final and said it felt like opponents Manchester City had “taken over” the competition.
United lost the final 2-1 at Joie Stadium to complete a disappointing end to the campaign.
Fletcher’s team lost the Premier League Under-18 Cup to Crystal Palace on penalties after conceding a stoppage-time equaliser and also came second to City in Premier League North.
However, while 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 how the occasion had been handled.
City rejected United’s offer to host the match at Old Trafford after the Blues said it could not be held at Etihad Stadium because of ongoing construction works.
That decision annoyed United academy staff as they felt it deprived players of both sides the opportunity to play a showcase final in what they felt was an appropriate setting. Joie Stadium is City’s 7,000-capacity home for their academy and women’s teams, and sits adjacent to the club’s main stadium.
As it turned out, despite Manchester City officials saying it was a sell-out, only the United section was full, with large numbers of empty seats in the home sections for a match watched by both first-team bosses, City’s Pep Guardiola and United’s Michael Carrick.
Fletcher was further annoyed by what he felt was 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’s gone around this game: for the location, for everything,” said United Under-18s coach Fletcher.
“You have to respect the opposition. But not when Man City take over an FA Youth Cup.
“It’s an FA competition. It should never have been like that.
“I’ve never heard individual coaches be shouted out and every individual player be shouted out. That doesn’t happen in cup finals.
“It’s an FA competition and it felt like it was a Man City competition for this whole build-up to the game and in terms of how we had to deal with that at the end.
“That’s my one gripe for tonight. But the best team won, compliments to them.”
It is understood Fletcher aired his views forcefully, shouting at FA officials while the post-match presentations took place.
Fletcher is also clearly unhappy about the timing of the Premier League 2 play-off final at Brighton.
That game in the competition for under-21 players is forming part of a double-header at Amex Stadium this Saturday evening, with a 19:30 BST kick-off. It follows a Women’s Super League game at the stadium earlier in the day.
The proximity to the Youth Cup final makes it tough for a significant portion of Fletcher’s side, who are also PL2 regulars, to play.
In addition, it means any young players likely to be used in United’s Premier League game with Nottingham Forest at Old Trafford on Sunday lunchtime are unlikely to be involved.
“We’re dealing with a lot of difficult dynamics just now in terms of these youth fixtures, which is disappointing,” said Fletcher.
“With the under-21s game being 48 hours after this, some of our players aren’t going to experience that.
“Hopefully people take a step back now when they’ve come away from it. There’s a lot of learning to be done for the Premier League and for the FA for these historic competitions.”
City declined to comment on Fletcher’s complaints.