Manchester United respond to fans after ‘disgraceful’ decision to raise ticket prices

Manchester United have responded to fans after their latest decision to raise ticket prices at Old Trafford was labelled as a ‘disgrace’.

Manchester United and Sir Jim Ratcliffe have faced heavy criticism for a recent decision to raise ticket prices at Old Trafford.

The club has set a flat rate of £66 for all remaining home games this season, removing concessions for young fans and over-65s. This move has made attending matches significantly less affordable for many working-class supporters.

The Manchester United Supporters Trust (MUST) strongly condemned the decision, calling it a “disgrace” in a statement sent to United CEO Omar Berrada last week.

“These changes are a disgrace, both in their substance and in how the club has gone about making them,” part of the statement from MUST read.

Since then, a banner was displayed by fans in the Stretford End during the 3-0 win over Everton which said ‘Stop Exploiting Loyalty’.

A group of supporters were also chanting against Ratcliffe before kick-off, comparing him to the hated Glazer family. It all demonstrates how unpopular the move has been.

This week, United have sent an email to fans in response to the anger against the decision, claiming that the price-hike is part of broader strategies intended to reinforce the club’s economic stability.

“As a club, we have been focused on cost saving to put us on a stronger financial footing,” the club wrote. “This means having to make very hard decisions, including a significant reduction in our staff numbers.

“It also means looking for opportunities to increase our revenues so we can continue to invest in football and infrastructure. We have now sold over 97 per cent of tickets this season, many of which were at a discounted rate.

“We are implementing some policy changes for matches that have already sold out, where only small numbers of tickets will be released.”

Ratcliffe has introduced several other cost-cutting changes at Old Trafford since taking over operations at club level, including wide-scale redundancy across all levels at the club.

While things are beginning to look positive on the pitch with Ruben Amorim in charge, fans will not be content with the explanation from the club which spent over £20 million on the managerial changes just one month ago.

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