Pep Guardiola questioned why more did not turn up on Sunday to watch his side

The Manchester City manager said he was surprised the Etihad was not full

He has appealed for more support in Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final

The Etihad Stadium drew a crowd of 39,223 against Fulham as City won 4-0

Manchester City’s official supporters’ club launched a strong defence of their loyalty after Pep Guardiola’s criticism of his own fans after Sunday’s FA Cup win over Fulham.

The City manager questioned why more had not turned up for a fourth-round tie, broadcast live on the BBC, which drew a crowd of 39,223 – the third highest attendance of the weekend.

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Guardiola was left ‘surprised’ at the Etihad not being at full capacity, and appealed for more support ahead of Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semi-final against Manchester United.

Manchester City’s official supporters’ club have accused Pep Guardiola of being ‘out of touch’

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Kevin Parker, general secretary of the club’s official fans’ group, revealed frustration at Guardiola’s comments.

‘I was disappointed and don’t see what Pep is trying to achieve,’ Parker said. ‘He’s playing into the hands of the “Emptyhad” critics. It really peeves me.

‘We feel unjustifiably criticised by other clubs, so for our manager to have a go at us as well makes it worse. I’d suggest he’s not in touch with the financial reality facing football fans.

‘Pep has to accept that this is a working class group of supporters who spend a lot of their money on football, so stop beating us up about it.’

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Guardiola has revisited the topic of support intermittently during his three-and-a-half years in charge, particularly surrounding the indifference felt towards UEFA and the Champions League.

The Etihad Stadium drew a crowd of 39,223 against Fulham — the weekend’s third highest

City average almost 55,000 in the Premier League and more than 50,000 in Europe. Parker argued that the lower number against Fulham was logical given broadcast arrangements.

‘Questioning the loyalty of City fans who went 35 years without a trophy - supporting them through lots of thin times - is not for me,’ Parker added.

‘It was 1pm on a Sunday, not the easiest to get to and live on terrestrial television.

‘Fans have purchased tickets for both the League Cup semi-final and the Real Madrid tie. While the match was well-priced, it wasn’t a season-ticket game so fans had to dip into their pockets.

‘I absolutely love Pep, he’s the best thing to ever happen to the club from a football point of view. But this sort of thing will alienate fans who work very hard to buy tickets.

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‘The fans who attend are always singing for Pep, always behind the team. There’s no negativity, no booing or singling out of players.’