Chris Rumfitt from Manchester United Supporters’ Trust has slammed “eye-watering” increases in ticket prices for next season.
United have announced matchday ticket prices could reach £97 as part of their new ticket pricing strategy, following the club’s worse domestic campaign since 1974.
The most expensive matchday tickets at Old Trafford last season were £66.
There are four categories under the new system, with the lowest reserved exclusively for “some” cup games.
It means the lowest priced ticket for a Premier League game is £37, for the two category C matches against Sunderland and Wolves. That figure rises to £97 for the highest priced tickets in category A, which involves games against Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Newcastle and Tottenham.
Club officials argue the £97 applies to less than 1% of the available tickets.
“These increases are eye-watering,” Rumfitt told BBC Radio Manchester. “They are worse than anyone’s worse expectations.
“When they said they were going to introduce this model the suggestion was some tickets would stay the same price, some might even be a bit cheaper and a small number for the biggest games might be more expensive.
“What we’ve actually discovered is the price increases relate to 17 of the 19 Premier League games next season and for those games ticket prices are going up by typically 50%.
“The average cheapest ticket is going up by about 50% and that is absolutely outrageous, particularly after the season we just had.
“It’s just extraordinary and I’m lost for words. We knew this model was coming but it’s really the scale of it, the number of games that are being premium-priced and the extent of that pricing.
“There has been lots going on in terms of cuts at the club but they made the main ticketing announcement many months ago and we feel it’s been pretty dishonest of them not to have made sure at that stage what was coming. We feel we have been misled and certainly we have not been consulted despite the club saying they would consult with fans.
“There has been nothing at all. “
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