The FA is bracing itself for losses of £1 million after agreeing to issue a full refund to fans unable to get to Wembley tonight because of the 48-hour Tube strike.

Chaotic scenes are expected around the national stadium because there will be no transport available by Tube and car parking is limited, leading to fears that many of the 63,000 ticket-holders will opt to stay away.

Despite offering refunds, the FA is hoping for an attendance of 50,000, which although 40,000 down on capacity would still be one of the biggest in the world this evening, a remarkable achievement in the circumstances. Some at Soho Square have mooted the idea of taking legal advice in an attempt to recoup some of the losses, but such action will not be pursued.

The FA will instead attempt to make the best of a bad job, opening the turnstiles and a small number of car parks earlier than usual at 5.45pm and encouraging fans to arrive well in advance of the 8.15pm kick-off. In anticipation of the Tube strike, the FA took the decision to limit ticket sales to 70,000 last week, although, given the offer of a full refund, it is impossible to know how many of those with tickets will turn up. With the average ticket for an England home match priced at £30, the FA’s losses will be close to seven figures if more than 30,000 fans stay away.

“Refunds will be available to ticket-holders who do not attend,” Ian Watmore, the FA chief executive, said. “Given the strike, the journey home will be difficult and supporters should make their own arrangements and not rely on public transport. Supporters should plan to travel as early as possible. Travelling in London will not be straightforward and they should expect a disrupted journey.”

John Terry, the England captain, is hoping that the fans’ loyalty will be rewarded by an outstanding performance. “We know how hard it is for the fans financially so we’re hoping we can pay them back,” he said. “Whoever turns up, let’s hope we put on a show for them. When things are going badly for us, they’re going to be the ones turning up and supporting us. This is a chance to pay them back.

“I’m sure there’ll be more than 30,000 England fans there. No matter how many are there, we’ll try and get the job done. We realise everyone’s going to be trying their best to get there. If they’re not, hopefully they’ll be supporting us at home.”

Down the Tubes

A Tube strike in May 1989 had a drastic effect on a Wembley attendance. England’s friendly against Chile drew 15,628 people — about 10,000 fewer than for the previous home friendly against Denmark. A goalless draw added to the depressed mood, although John Fashanu will recall it fondly as his debut.