Aston Villa released their ticket prices for the Champions League last week and it caused mass controversy.
Villa fans were left outraged at the Champions League ticket prices, as in some areas of the ground, supporters had to pay £97 for a ticket, while the lowest was £85.
As a result, the people who decided these numbers came under intense scrutiny, with Stan Collymore dubbing the ticket prices as ‘disgraceful’.
Alan Shearer was also in agreement with Collymore over the pricing, as he felt it was ‘disappointing’ that fans had to pay that much to watch their team.
Despite how expensive a ticket was, they sold out very quickly and that is more of a reflection on how desperate fans are to watch their side in Europe’s elite competition, rather than the prices being reasonable.
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Unai Emery shares thoughts on Aston Villa’s Champions League ticket pricing
In response to the ludicrous pricing, a protest is to set take place inside Villa Park when Aston Villa take on Everton.
Fans are being asked to collect cards, which will be handed out outside of the stadium before the match, and display them in the direction of the directors’ box for the first 97 seconds of the game.
The number 97 carries significance, as it equates in pounds to the most expensive ticket a supporter can buy for any of the club’s forthcoming games against Bayern Munich, Juventus, Bologna and Celtic.
For Unai Emery and his players, a protest isn’t ideal but the Spanish boss understands the frustrations of the fans and how he respects their decision to protest about the price of tickets.
“I’m aware and I will try to tomorrow to play focusing and connecting with our supporters like we were doing usually here,” Emery told Sky Sports.
“And hopefully, they can support like they are doing and hopefully as well, we can connect with them. Of course, I can say I respect them and I respect they don’t agree with this situation but we are increasing our level, we are playing in the Champions League and we are playing more matches.
“I know the supporters, they will support us again and we have to accept someone is protesting something but like I’m telling you, hopefully at the end of the season it will be worth because we are enjoying, and we are really keeping the level we had last year and the supporters, they are supporting us.”
Aston Villa fans are right to protest
Considering the pricing is well above what is being charged by Villa’s Champions League counterparts Arsenal and Liverpool – who are also representing England – fans are well within their right to protest.
To put it simply, they have to make their voice heard and a protest – if carried out effectively – can perhaps send the correct message to the club.
They want to peacefully outline to the board that the pricing they’ve set for the upcoming games is unacceptable, particularly during a climate where people are struggling to make ends meet.
Of course, there are no guarantees that a protest will force the club into reversing its decision and lowering the prices somewhat however, it will show that the masses aren’t happy with how much they’ve had to pay, despite Villa Park selling out for the visit of Bayern.
