Cameron spoke on the issue after watching 10,000 Liverpool supporters walk out of their match against Sunderland on Saturday in protest against the club’s plan to raise their top-priced ticket to £77. Fan groups from all 20 Premier League clubs are set to meet next week to discuss further action, which could include more walkouts. On Wednesday night, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn hailed Liverpool’s retreat on ticket prices as a victory for supporters. “Liverpool FC ticket prices frozen for two seasons after 77-minute walk out on Saturday,” he wrote. “Great to see people power working.”
Efford, who last year tabled a bill in parliament aimed at giving supporters seats on club boards, asked Cameron during PMQs: “The Football Supporters’ Federation is considering calling on fans to hold mass walkouts to get our voices heard about the issue of ticket prices. Will the Prime Minister act to give fans a place at the table in club boardrooms in order that their voices can be heard when issues such as ticket prices are being discussed?”
Cameron replied: “I will look very carefully at the suggestion the honourable gentleman makes because there is a problem here where some clubs put up prices very rapidly every year even though so much of the money for football comes from sponsorship and equipment and other sources. So I will look very carefully at what he’s said.” A No 10 spokesman said afterwards that ministers were aware of the events at Anfield and that Cameron was worried about fans being “priced out” of matches.
Efford told Telegraph Sport that he would contact the FSF to offer to help arrange a meeting between Cameron and the FSF. Its chairman, Malcolm Clarke, said: “It would be enormously helpful if the Prime Minister could use his influence to get some progress on this.”
Interactive: Premier League ticket prices
Premier League chiefs reiterated that new measures would be put in place to help reduce the costs for away supporters next season.
Clubs will meet to vote on the matter next month after a plan to cap away ticket prices was rejected last week. Opposition to a £30 ceiling was led by the bigger teams, in defiance of the will of Everton, Newcastle, Sunderland, South-ampton, West Bromwich Albion, Aston Villa and Swansea City.
The Premier League is acutely aware of the threat of further unrest following the sale of broadcast rights worth £8.3 billion to its clubs. The teams also all agree something has to be done – but there is no consensus as to what. Some favour committing more money to subsidising the travel costs of fans, while others insist the measure that will work best is a price cap.
The rising cost of football ticket prices
- Telegraph