Ayao Komatsu, a well-known Coventry City supporter, expressed his sadness at missing the FA Cup semi-final matchup between Manchester United and Coventry City at Wembley Stadium next month.
The 48-year-old Haas F1 team principal will be in China for the fifth round of the 2024 FIA Formula One World Championship, where his side, the Sky Blues, will be playing for a spot in the competition’s final against the Premier League Red Devils. The Sky Blues won the championship back in 1987.
Since Coventry first to the city as an 18-year-old student in 1998, when the team was a top flight entity, Komatsu, who was elevated to take over Haas in January, had been the trackside engineering director for the American company since 2016.
READ MORE: Coventry City releases preliminary FA Cup semi-final details for Wembley, including with news regarding ticket allocation and sales.
He is not the only F1 team owner who loves the Sky Blues, though; Christian Horner of Red Bull, who was born in Leamington Spa, has been a fan for a very long time.
Before this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix, Ayao spoke from Down Under to CoventryLive regarding City’s remarkable comeback against Wolves in the quarterfinals: “Coventry City beating Wolves to get to the semi-final is amazing.” We were on the fake grid when one of the other parents, who is also a Coventry supporter, approached me and exclaimed, “Ayao, Ayao, we won!” I was actually carting with my kids in North Wales at the time.
And when Wolves scored in the 88th minute to make it 2-1, we looked at it and thought, “Wow, 3-2,” and the way it transpired made it appear like we were going to lose. It was very exciting. After 90 minutes and seven, we tied the score, and after 90 minutes and ten, we won.
“I really want to be there because it is the first FA Cup at Wembley since 1987, but I am gutted because I will be in China for my job, so I can not attend, but I am sure I will find a bar to watch it,” he continued.
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