FA let Man City take over Youth Cup final - Fletcher

FA let Man City take over Youth Cup final - FletcherImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Manchester United coach Darren Fletcher with star forward JJ Gabriel (left) after the FA Youth Cup final defeat by Manchester CityBySimon StoneManchester United reporterPublished1 minute agoManchester 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...