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All four clubs came together ahead of last weekend’s games to protest against the rising cost of Premier League tickets.
Supporters of Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Everton set aside their rivalry - at least for a few hours - on Sunday to stand together in protest against spiralling ticket costs.
The price of attending Premier League matches has been a thorny issue over recent years, with 19 of the 20 top-flight clubs choosing to increase prices ahead of this season, while several have opted to remove concessions. Last week, United increased members’ prices up to £66 mid-season, while City’s pricing has resulted in the club failing to sell out their three cup matches at the Etihad this term.
They’re among the numerous tales that prompted the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) to organise another wave of protests ahead of the Manchester/Merseyside double header on Sunday. Fans of United and Everton stood shoulder to shoulder before their meeting at Old Trafford, a few hours before City and Liverpool supporters did the same outside Anfield, accompanied by banners containing the #StopExplotingLoyalty message.
At United, prominent fan group The 1958 organised their protest, with Stretford End Flags (SEF), The Red Army and the Manchester United Supporters’ Trust also promoting the gathering. “That gave it real validity,” Andrew Kilduff of SEF told Manchester World.
“We’re all matchgoing supporters and the atmosphere is at the heart of what we do. The more that fans are being priced out of going, the more it’s having an impact on the atmosphere. Younger fans are being priced out and replaced with day-trippers… this is what this [the protest] is aimed at: fans who will pay hundreds of pounds like you would for a one-off concert. That is going to have a massive negative impact.
“It’s coming up to Christmas and people are struggling to get presents and put food on the table. From an industry that generates multi millions of pounds, the fans aren’t the ones who shouldn’t be paying for it.”
One notable aspect of the protest outside Old Trafford was that much of the ire was directed at Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who said when he completed his minor investment in the club that he wanted to put ‘Manchester back into Manchester United’. Now the boyhood red has hiked up prices on a group of fans who lauded him as the club’s saviour in February when he bought a minority stake in United. A lot has changed in a very short space of time.
“The honeymoon period has ended for him,” opined Kilduff. “I was surprised at the chants but that’s what football fans. You’re coming in and implementing these changes, you can’t be blind to that. The Glazers are still there which people sometimes forget. But there are other ways of maximising revenue streams.
“It’s hitting the wrong people. The club have got to look at ways to reduce the finances and cut costs, which is the impact of 20 years of neglect from the Glazer ownership. Supporters shouldn’t be the ones paying the price for that.
Fans came together outside Old Trafford to protest against rising ticket prices.Fans came together outside Old Trafford to protest against rising ticket prices.
Fans came together outside Old Trafford to protest against rising ticket prices. | AFP via Getty Images
“This doesn’t just affect United fans,” he added, while admitting he is worried about the long-term impact on supporters’ groups if prices keep increasing.
‘There will be more’
Meanwhile, 30 miles down the M62, the unity that this topic evokes was plain for all to see. City and Liverpool supporters haven’t got on particularly well over recent years, but the #StopExplotingLoyalty banner which ran across both sets of fans and was visible ahead of kick-off, sent a very powerful message.
“I was worried that City fans wouldn’t back it - ‘what’s this got to do with us?’. But that couldn’t have been further from the truth,” Nick Clarke from MCFC Foodbank, who headed up the blue side of the protest at Anfield, told Manchester World.
“I didn’t even know any of them but as soon as I told them what was on the banner, everyone was completely on board. We were only meant to hold it up for a minute or two, but we ended up holding it for 15/20 minutes right up until kick-off. We even held it up over You’ll Never Walk Alone.
“It says so much that fans across the country are sick and tired of being taken for granted and really it’s about much more than ticket prices. It’s about the general direction the game is going in and it feels like clubs are taking the p**s out of us.
A powerful image from Anfield, where the banner crosses the fan divide and is held up by home and away supporters.A powerful image from Anfield, where the banner crosses the fan divide and is held up by home and away supporters.
A powerful image from Anfield, where the banner crosses the fan divide and is held up by home and away supporters. | Getty Images
“We couldn’t have asked for anything better, well, other than what happened on the pitch,” he continued. “Hundreds of people showed up at points. We’re completely different clubs but all experience similar issues, or will do.
“That’s why so many different clubs have got involved. For us to make such a strong movement with four big clubs and to put that rivalry aside was fantastic. We feel motivated and strengthened to keep talking to each other.”
This isn’t done by a long stretch, Clarke explained. He feels that fans across the board are talking to each other more than ever and that a huge groundswell of support has built up in a relatively short period of time.
“There will be more banners and more calls for the fans to engage on this properly and speak to supporters and be transparent,” he said in reference to City, while plans are already under way to organise their regular food collection point ahead of the Manchester derby next week, another example of how the football family can band together to support those in need.
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