Manchester United have introduced ticket-price categories for their matches next season.
Just days after chief executive Omar Berrada did an interview with United We Stand fanzine, the club yet again let down its supporters. United have categorised six Premier League home games as top-tier 'Category A' clashes, with tickets ranging from £59 up to a staggering £97.
The big six facing the price hike are Liverpool, Manchester City, Leeds, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Newcastle. Eleven matches next season fall under 'Category B', with prices set between £57 and a whopping £86.
In response to the announcement, a Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST) spokesperson said: “This really is a fresh kick in the teeth for Manchester United fans.”
Somehow only two teams are considered 'Category C' games for Old Trafford next season (£37-£60). There’s an easy joke to make that United themselves should be Category C after their displays last season.
Man United fans
Manchested United fans protesting against ticket changes and price increases (Image: Getty Images)
Domestic cup games are the cheapest at D category (£32-£52). Concessions for juniors and seniors are still available, and the new pricing only affects match-by-match ticket members, not season ticket holders.
But it’s not the ticket price hike that is the real issue. You can hear the club’s argument that they need to increase revenues if they’re to rebuild this team and help ease financial concerns.
The troubling part should be the lack of consultation with supporter groups about the price changes which was, according to fans forum members, promised.
Club World Cup reality
Fans look on with empty seats in view during the FIFA Club World Cup
Fans look on with empty seats in view during the FIFA Club World Cup (Image: Getty Images)
The fans are not showing up in huge numbers and the actual football is like pre-season friendlies.
But the Club World Cup is here to stay. Why? Because FIFA and Saudi Arabia want it to be a success. And when you have a bottomless pit of cash then there’s always a way to make sure something sticks around.
There were just 3,412 fans at one game this week. While around 22,000 watched Premier League giants Chelsea against Los Angeles FC in Atlanta. No jokes about who would want to watch Chelsea anyways please.
Attendances will grow as the tournament goes on and the likes of Real Madrid take on Manchester City or another big club in the knockout stages. While the winners next month will hail it as one of their greatest achievements.
But with reports claiming that FIFA are ordering broadcaster DAZN to change camera positions to ensure stadiums look full, it can’t be hailed as a success. The viewing figures on Channel 5 are healthy and, in some cases, bigger than Premier League audiences on Sky Sports.
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But boxing produces far bigger viewing figures on the channel than much bigger fights do on Sky or TNT Sports. Even in a world of streaming, terrestrial TV still reaches more homes and that guarantees bigger viewing figures no matter the product.
There were concerns raised before all this was organised about the amount of football the players are being put through. Yet again the clubs could have said no to participating and saving their athletes from further strain but they also saw the money on offer.
That is why clubs who qualify will keep showing up every four years - or two if FIFA get their way - no matter how successful the tournament is commercially.
With Saudi backing it, it doesn’t have to turn over a profit this year to happen again. Nor will the next one in two or four years. They will bankroll it to appease FIFA ahead of the World Cup in the Middle East in 2034 with DAZN, who the PIF are invested in, continuing to broadcast.
Chelsea players dejected after their FIFA Club World Cup loss to Flamengo
Chelsea players dejected after their FIFA Club World Cup loss to Flamengo
Now South American clubs appear to be taking it more seriously than their European counterparts in the intensity in which they’ve played. But, at the moment, it looks on TV what a pre-season or post-season tour usually does for the likes of Real and City.
Again, when the bigger games come then the bigger clubs may show more in them. After all, their owners will want the prize fund for the victors next month.
Yet no matter how much we talk about US fans not caring and not showing up to the group games, don’t kid yourself that this will be seen as a failure for FIFA.
They’ve already banked the money from their Saudi supporters. This is their vanity project and they will tell you it is great, no matter what you see in the stands or on the pitch.
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