• Tickets for Emirates fifth-round tie could cost up to £93
• Spirit of Shankly has written to both clubs voicing fears
The Liverpool supporters’ group Spirit of Shankly has urged Arsenal to consider reducing ticket prices when the sides meet in the FA Cup next month, amid concerns that away fans will have to pay up to £93.
When Liverpool played Arsenal at the Emirates in the Premier League in November, visiting supporters paid £62 for a ticket. However, given that the Cup allows for a greater away allocation, there are fears that, if the fixture is selected as a “Category A” match, the prices could rise.
Arsenal are understood to be monitoring the situation and will make a decision on the fixture categorisation in the coming days. The Spirit of Shankly chairman, James McKenna, wrote to both clubs after the fifth-round draw on Sunday asking for tickets to be priced at the same level as Arsenal’s fourth-round game at home to Coventry, when away fans paid £25.50.
McKenna wrote: “The league game saw Liverpool fans charged £62 per ticket for a fixture played on a Saturday evening. The cost of the match along with the late kick-off saw many fans priced out and for those who went there were many difficulties using public transport to get home.
“We have been informed by Arsenal supporters that, if we receive a 9,000-ticket allocation at Category A prices, this would mean that ticket prices could range from £62 to £93 for Liverpool supporters.
“Liverpool fans have already been charged 72% more than Everton for the league matches that have been played this season and we believe that this is completely unreasonable.
“Coventry’s FA Cup tickets were priced at £25.50 and we would request that tickets are priced in the same manner. Similarly, in the event that this match ends up being replayed at Anfield, that a similar arrangement is reached with our ticket prices.”
Spirit of Shankly also requested that the game not be moved to a kick-off time that would cause difficulties for away fans getting home via public transport.
- Arsenal
- Liverpool
- FA Cup
- Ticket prices
James Riach
theguardian.com