Aston Villa are facing a backlash over ‘exorbitant’ ticket prices for their Champions League campaign.
The Midlands club have been accused of rejecting requests from their own supporters’ council for pricing to return to Europe’s premier competition for the first time in 42 years after announcing adult tickets would start at £70.
Unai Emery’s team face four home games in the league phase: against Bayern Munich, Bologna, Juventus and Celtic.
Season ticket holders will have to fork out between £70 and £82 to watch Unai Emery’s side, depending on where they sit, while non-season ticket holders will have to pay between £85 and £97, at a rate of £1 per minute, plus under-18s will cost between £20 and £97.
Tickets for the Champions League final at Wembley in June started at £60.
Villa Park will host Bayern Munich, Bologna, Juventus and Celtic in the Champions League
The Aston Villa Supporters’ Trust (AVST) said it met with the club last season to discuss tickets and requested that Champions League prices be no higher than those for a Category A match, which ranged from £48 to £80.
It comes after fans attending the opening Premier League game with Arsenal queued for more than an hour at the turnstiles and claimed the toilets were overflowing.
“It is extremely disappointing for clubs to announce Champions League ticket prices above Category A this season, particularly given recent matchday experiences with late arrivals of more than 30 minutes, issues with seating and toilets,” read a statement from AVST.
‘Loyal Villa fans who have waited 40 years to celebrate this momentous season are being penalised and exploited to meet the club’s publicly-recognised PSR, ESR and revenue-generating targets.
Villa fans were forced to queue for more than an hour before the recent game against Arsenal.
“The consortium fears the club will alienate fans with this price and has asked the club to reconsider before the first home game against Bayern Munich in October.”
“Some seriously impressive prices from Aston Villa for their first European Cup campaign in a decade,” the Football Supporters’ Association added.
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