Premier League club Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said that fans “have every right to protest against the club over ticketing policies and insisted that his superiors would listen to their complaints,” according to Paul Hirst of the London TIMES. The 1894 Group, a City supporters’ group, has “called on fans to not take their seats until the ninth minute of their home game against Leicester City” today because of the “sponsorship deal with Viagogo, which they claim is the ninth deal that the club have struck with a third-party ticket seller.” The 1894 “expressed concern” in a statement that the firm was linked to “legalised touting.” City said that the deal “applied only to hospitality tickets rather than standard tickets.” Hirst wrote Viagogo is “yet to respond to a request for comment.” There is “concern among supporters that hospitality tickets could end up being sold to away fans and that standard tickets could be sold at inflated prices” (London TIMES, 4/1).
ON THEIR SIDE: In Manchester, Joe Bray noted Guardiola “pleaded” with City fans to “support the team from the off” against Leicester City ahead of the protest. Guardiola “offered sympathy for supporters and suggested that a club that allows their fans to protest is ‘alive.‘” But he also “urged fans to back his side from the first minute, with another protest option put to supporters being nine minutes of silence” (MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS, 4/1).
ON BOTH SIDES? Bray in a separate piece noted Guardiola is hopeful that a scheduled meeting tomorrow between the club and Fan Advisory Board City Matters can “help both sides reach some common ground.” It “feels significant that Guardiola has offered his support to the fans’ cause, especially going as far as to urge the club to listen to concerns at this week’s meeting.” However, an “earlier comment felt just as telling when he backed the club in exploring different revenue opportunities.” Guardiola: “The club has to be active in many departments in the decisions being made” (MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS, 4/2).
