Aston Villa fans have been looking forward to seeing their side compete in the Champions League since their place in the competition was confirmed on May 16th.
Aston Villa players and staff were at the club’s end of season awards night when Manchester City beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 to ensure Unai Emery‘s side would compete with Europe’s elite this season.
Generations of Villa fans will never have seen the club compete in the Champions League, with the club last in the competition in the 1982/83 season; then called the European Cup prior to its rebrand.
The excitement was fuelled further by last week’s Champions League draw in which Villa found out who they will face in the new-look format of the competition, with the Villans taking on the likes of Bayern Munich, Juventus and Celtic in the initial league stage.
Now, though, Villa fans have been left with a sour taste in their mouth as the club have released the pricing for home Champions League clashes.
Aston Villa fans left disappointed by Champions League ticket prices
Villa Park is sure to be rocking on European nights, with Champions League home games expected to be the hottest ticket in town.
If fans are to catch their side in the competition for the first time in 41 years, they will have to pay a premium to ensure their seat at Villa Park.
A breakdown of the ticket prices for Villa’s home Champions League games has been posted on X, showing that the cheapest adult tickets will cost a whopping £85.
Fans have reacted angrily to the news on X, with one fan saying: “It’s a sad day when recently UEFA have actually done more for us as fans by capping away ticket prices than our own club fleecing us.”
Another responded “Ouch that hurts”, with this sentiment echoed by another fan who added: “£85 is insane!”
One supporter voiced their anger, saying: “Wow that’s a joke. £800 for a season ticket then another £340 to watch four extra games.”
Another then replied: “I’ll be lucky enough to go but this is going to price quite a few loyal fans out I fear.”
Aston Villa Champions League prices a sign of the times
Villa have just endured a summer in which they narrowly escaped a potential point deduction for breaching Premier League spending rules.
The sales of Douglas Luiz, Omari Kellyman and Tim Iroegbunam were all sanctioned to comply despite Champions League qualification.
Villa now enter the next three-year PSR window and the decision-makers need to find as many ways to increase revenue as possible to avoid finding themselves in the same position in the future.
The pricing of Champions League tickets perhaps reflects that strategy but surely there has to be a better solution than charging extortionate prices to loyal fans.
