He said: “The Football Supporters’ Federation is considering calling on fans to hold mass walkouts in order to get their voices heard about the issue of ticket prices”.
Advertisement
It also fears a deliberate squeeze on away supporters in the Barclays Premier League to allow for the sale of more tickets to home fans and neutrals, maximising spending in club shops.
Prime Minister David Cameron says that he will “look carefully” into the rise of ticket prices for Premier League matches.
A recent Premier League shareholders meeting included a discussion about capping the cost of tickets for away supporters at £30, although it has been reported since that they decided not to implement the measure.
The clubs will discuss the issue again in March, according to Clarke.
Sky and BT Sport’s blockbuster £5.14 billion domestic TV rights deal kicks in at the start of next season, with the sale of overseas rights – expected to be confirmed in the coming weeks – set to swell that figure to £8 billion (10.2 billion euros and 11.5 billion dollars) for the period 2016-2019.
The 38-year-old went onto say in the article that £77 is too much for any football match and that the prices should represent the value that football is a game for everyone, meaning it should be affordable.
“We will continue to keep making the case for a cap on away ticket prices”. Fans of other football clubs have had vented (albeit in scattered manner) frustrations against the rising ticket prices, but in most cases, the club owners turn a deaf ear to such catcalls.
FSG will hope the climbdown, because that is what it is, will fix fractures in that crucial relationship with Liverpool’s fans.
For a long time, the rising cost of being a football fan has been a hot topic, writes Rob Tanner.
The American sports investment company had planned to raise top-price tickets to £77 in the new main stand, but after thousands of Reds fans left Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Sunderland at Anfield in the 77th minute, the owners said that it was “message received”.
“I think we’ve seen in the last few days that enough is enough for many football fans”.
Liverpool supporters are widely regarded among the most passionate and faithful in the world, and their walkout highlights the extent of the anger felt by fans around the continent. The protest was completely justified; fans were being charged for their loyalty.
Liverpool’s about-turn on prices will see the most expensive ticket price frozen at 59 pounds next season and the cheapest will remain nine pounds.
Advertisement
“We have to give something back”, said Pulis. As The Independent’s Ian Herbert reported this morning, the FSF also plan to put pressure on the commercial partners of Premier League clubs.
