City must not follow United on ticket rises

SIR Jim Ratcliffe's cost-cutting measures at Manchester United continued this week as he passed more responsibility onto their supporters with an average five per cent rise in ticket prices for next season.

- By JOE BRAY

It won’t come as a surprise to United fans given Ratcliffe’s swinging axe that has covered every area of the club bar the men’s playing side. That shiny £2billion stadium with its huge spires and sweeping roof won't fund itself.

It follows a trend of Premier League clubs raising prices for supporters. Not only have United raised headline prices, but they are turning some of the best seats at Old Trafford into hospitality, reducing the discount for senior concessions and introducing a new £10 charge for supporters re-selling their ticket back to the club if it falls within two weeks of the fixture, and match-by-match price banding has been introduced for the first time.

It is those smaller changes that will frustrate supporters as much as the overarching price rises. It is the narrative that clubs who are buying players and sacking managers for tens of millions of pounds are passing on costs to supporters in a cost of living crisis.