Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has called on FSG to scrap plans to increase ticket prices at Anfield over the next three years, dismissing the club’s rationalization as “utter nonsense”.
(Image: Liverpool Echo)
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher has called on the club’s owners, Fenway Sports Group, to withdraw a proposed increase in ticket prices, arguing that the fan backlash outweighs the economic benefits.
Last month it was announced that Anfield’s matchday running costs are said to have increased by 85 per cent over the past decade, with the club planning to increase ticket prices in line with inflation over the next three years.
Liverpool uses UK CPI (Customer Price Index) inflation from January of each year to establish the basis for pricing. Inflation is forecast at 2.3% this year, before falling to 2%. This represents an increase of 7.3% over three years. As a result, general admission tickets will increase in price by between £3 and £4.50 per matchday ticket over the three years.
However, opponents claim the £1.2m figure Liverpool are expected to generate from the rise is an insignificant sum for a club whose annual revenue exceeded the £700m threshold for the first time in the latest financial figures released in February.
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Prominent supporters’ union Spirit of Shankly coordinated demonstrations following the announcement and campaigned for no money to be spent inside Anfield in the run-up to last week’s 2-0 win over Fulham. Last week’s victory led many supporters to brand the club “greedy bastards”, but Reds icon Carragher sympathized with fans’ anger and called on FSG to reverse the price increase.
“My issue is…first of all, I think we have great owners,” Carragher told the ECHO. “Owners at any club are never popular, but they’ve been really great for us, and you’d think that would be true of the most stubborn Reds, home and away.
“But I don’t understand the ticket prices in terms of how much income they get from sponsorships and the Premier League, and when you look at their labor costs, Liverpool are right at the top of the class. And the idea that we need to increase ticket prices to pay these players is complete nonsense.”
“Supporters aren’t stupid. There are enough of them out there. A smart supporter can put together the numbers and say all you get is an extra (small amount). So what do you actually get out of it?
Liverpool fans hold up banners to protest against the club’s ticket price hike.
“The owners may come back and say their tickets are cheaper than Arsenal or Tottenham, but it’s a north-south issue and that will never be reversed. Unfortunately, they live in London and they can raise prices, but they can’t do that here.”
“At Liverpool, you get that back in different ways because we’re a bigger club than them. We get more sponsorship than them from whoever.
“And when you read about the salaries that players receive, I’m not complaining, but I’m paid a great salary and as long as footballers are on the pitch and our players are doing their job, they deserve what they receive.”
“But no, I don’t think there’s any need to fight with supporters over it. There’s no benefit (from it).”
Carragher, who played 737 games for the Reds, even believes Liverpool are in a good enough financial position to actually reduce ticket prices and gain widespread acclaim at a time when football fans across the country are being asked to spend more money.
Carragher suggested FSG should actually reduce ticket prices at Anfield (Image: CBS Sports)
He added: “Listen, you[as fans]want everything. We want cheap season tickets, match tickets and £30 for away tickets. It’s a great initiative. But for me, because Liverpool are such a big club, it should be Adidas[the club’s sponsor]it should be Standard Chartered, the wages should be paid by them.”
“And wouldn’t it be great to be seen as the cheapest club or whatever it is? And listen, there’s a lot of corporate people at Anfield who pay a lot of money. I’m not saying they should pay because they’re getting paid, but they’re obviously getting a little bit more money than just going to the games.”
“In terms of general admission prices, if one of the biggest clubs in the world had the lowest prices in the Premier League, it would be the talk of the town all over Europe.
“And what does that mean? Millions of pounds, but given the amount of money they’ve spent so far this season, it doesn’t make any difference[to Liverpool’s finances].”
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