Why Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes Criticism of Man City Attendances Is Nonsense

“Banter,” it seems, is becoming a big part of football. It’s a notoriously hazy term which has so far been used by Richard Keys to explain away sexist remarks towards Sian Massey whilst working as a presenter at Sky Sports, and by the LMA in an attempt to minimise the outrage at Malky Mackay's long list of bigotry when he was in charge at Cardiff.

This week, it was Paul Scholes and Rio Ferdinand’s turn to have a go, with their gentile joshing aimed at Manchester City and, more specifically, their fans. City were around 10,000 short of capacity for Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Roma in the Champions League, and Scholes and Ferdinand weren’t about to let that pass without remark.

Speaking in his capacity as a pundit for ITV, ex-England midfielder Scholes lamented the City support on European nights, saying:

"

The crowd need to get behind this team they need to create a special European atmosphere.

I was lucky enough to play at Old Trafford and we always talked about the atmosphere on a Tuesday night, the special atmosphere you create, and the crowd is rocking when you go out for a warm up.

At quarter past seven and there's empty seats everywhere.

When you come here it just doesn't have a European night feel to it. You go to Liverpool, you go to Old Trafford, you go to Chelsea, they have a special feeling for it.

Tonight I don't think there is [a special atmosphere]. I don't think they realise what a big game this is.

They've got the team, they've definitely got the players, the quality is definitely there, but do the crowd realise how lucky they are to be in this competition? I don't think they do.

"

Ian Walton/Getty Images

Whilst Scholes is right to point out the lack of atmosphere at the Etihad for Champions League matches, something even their most ardent supporters openly admit and want to change, what he failed to mention was Manchester United’s fans took quite some time to embrace European competition.

As pointed out by Ian Herbert writing in the Independent, crowds of less than 40,000 would turn up at Old Trafford for European games early in their time as a regular European side under Sir Alex Ferguson. They played Galatasaray in 1993 and welcomed 39,000 through the turnstiles, and got a similar crowd for their match with Honved in the same year.

City fans, it’s fair to say, still prioritise domestic matters over European ones. To them, winning the Premier League and proving their dominance in England is their main priority. It takes time for a set of fans to fall in love with a competition. 

Alex Timperley, a writer for fansite Typical City, told me that "ensuring domestic dominance means more to our supporters at this stage.

"Yes, we've won the league twice and won a couple of cups, but we are still far more focused on asserting ourselves as the major force in England than winning in Europe.

"Maybe fans are taking that into account when making a decision as to whether or not they should buy tickets for cup games. Premier League matches are included in the cost of season tickets." 

With greater success in Europe will come greater love for the competition amongst their supporters.

Alex Livesey/Getty Images

And that’s why in tough economic times, the working people of Manchester can be forgiven for deciding not to part with the £35 needed to attend Tuesday’s game on top of the already sizable cost of a season ticket, which has risen considerably this season.

The sight of a multimillionaire footballer, who is unlikely to have bought a ticker to a football game for many years, lamenting those who chose not to spend extra to attend the Roma match, as Ferdinand did on Twitter, was irony-laden and distasteful.

Hardly known for his subtlety or nuance, Ferdinand mocked those not attending and questioned City’s decision to expand their stadium.

"

How many empty seats are there at the city vs Roma game by the way....big CL game & fans would rather Ramsays Kitchen or something at home🙈

— Rio Ferdinand (@rioferdy5) September 30, 2014"

"

Expanding the stadium for what though?? For who though???

— Rio Ferdinand (@rioferdy5) September 30, 2014"

City sold out 18 of their 19 home league fixtures last season, and when they announced the stadium expansion launched a waiting-list scheme for season tickets which 7,500 joined. It’s clear they have a core of supporters prepared to attend Premier League matches and spend significant sums of money on a season ticket to ensure they do so regularly.

The idea they should abandon their expansion plans, a move which is set to assist them in their quest to comply with FFP and ensure their revenue increases and ultimately secures the club's future, is quite clearly ludicrous. 

Ferdinand underlined just how out of touch footballers are with his "banter" on Tuesday.

Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and will be following the club from a Manchester base throughout the 2014-15 season. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @RobPollard.