FA Cup final opens to bizarre scene of Emeli Sande performing Abide With Me to empty stadium

Sing like no-one’s listening: FA Cup final opens to bizarre scene of Emeli Sande performing much-loved Abide With Me to empty stadium

  •  Multi-million-selling pop star Emile Sande sang from the top of empty Wembley  
  •  Performance was pre-recorded but played inside stadium on the big screen
  •  One viewer said ‘It showed how the pandemic has changed the world’

The FA Cup final opened to farcical scenes last night – as the coronavirus pandemic forced multi-million-selling pop star Emile Sande to sing to no-one from the top of empty Wembley Stadium

In a bizarre moment in footballing history the musician performed Abide With Me from Wembley’s rooftop ahead of the match between Arsenal and Chelsea.

One viewer said: ‘If anyone was unsure about how much the pandemic has changed the world, they certainly hadn’t by the time the game started.’ 

The musician was beamed out on a big screen inside the cavernous empty stadium

The empty stadium was the grounds for the FA Cup final between Chelsea and Arsenal

The empty stadium was the grounds for the FA Cup final between Chelsea and Arsenal