Showpiece friendly? FA are at risk of devaluing Wembley

10:43am Friday 18th April 2008

There can't be too many people in the sporting fraternity - be they players, fans or even humble journalists (cough) - who can claim to be making three trips to Wembley in the space of a month, but some of us are just born lucky.

Being a long-suffering Cardiff City fan, this year's march to the FA Cup final has been little short of a miracle, which - in all honesty - still hasn't truly sunk in.

Take the semi-final win over Barnsley, the upcoming final against Portsmouth (yes, I have a ticket) and throw in last Sunday's friendly between AFC Wimbledon and Corinthian Casuals and it has been a right old knees-up at the home of football.

But, sitting huddled in the rain at the showpiece match (held to mark Corinthian Cas-uals' 125th anniversary in case you're wondering) as the Dons racked up an 8-1 rout in front of 5,000 hardy souls, I couldn't help feeling a touch blasé.

And there's the rub - surely any self-respecting football fan should be overjoyed at the mere prospect of attending a game at the historic venue.

But, in this age of rapidly escalating stadium costs, companies are desperate to claw back some of their outlay by hosting all manner of events at these sacred grounds.

As AFC boss Terry Brown himself admitted: "It would have been the pinnacle of my career, no doubt, had we actually earned our right to be here."

Now, if I was one of those 10,000 Cardiff fans who attended the semi-final but who will not be back on May 17 for arguably the biggest day in the club's history, no doubt I would be absolutely gutted.

But, bizarrely - and here's where Alex Ferguson's argument comes in - the fact that we have already played at the venue has undoubtedly taken some of the gloss off what should be the greatest day in my sports viewing-life.

Fergie chastised the FA for devaluing the FA Cup by playing the semi-finals at the same stadium and, begrudgingly, I have to admit I see his point.

After Dons and Corinthian Casuals trotted off following their day in the spotlight, I started thinking: where would it end?

The Surrey Senior Cup held at Wembley? Brentford staging a few pre-season friendlies there? Perhaps even London Welsh, who are looking for a new stadium, could enquire about making it their home?

Sarcasm aside, a special venue should be for special occasions and Wembley risks becoming not a special venue, but just another stadium.

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