LONDON — Football fans in England are considering a mass walkout in protest at rising Premier League ticket prices, the Daily Telegraph reported Tuesday.
An estimated 10,000 Liverpool supporters left Anfield in the 77th minute of Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Sunderland in protest over plans to introduce a most expensive match ticket of £77 ($112, 99 euros).
The Football Supporters Federation (FSF), which represents fans in England and Wales, said it would convene a meeting to discuss coordinated action, including a simultaneous fan walkout at top-flight fixtures.
“The FSF will be convening a meeting of representatives of supporters’ organizations across the Premier League to discuss the next steps in the campaign,” FSF chief executive Kevin Miles told the Telegraph.
“There are a number of options. The Liverpool walkout very successfully highlighted the whole issue of the affordability of football and the clubs need to be made to listen.”
Supporters in England are angry that ticket prices are rising at a time when Premier League clubs stand to receive a windfall of around £8 billion from new television rights deals.
Liverpool canceled plans to hold a question-and-answer session for fans with chief executive Ian Ayre Monday, but the club said it would revisit the matter.
The club’s manager, Jurgen Klopp, said that “everyone in the club has a big interest in finding a solution for this.”
Liverpool great Jamie Carragher joined in with the walkout at Anfield Saturday and was pictured on social media posing with a fan outside the ground.
Meanwhile, former Newcastle United striker Alan Shearer used his role on the BBC’s flagship ‘Match of the Day’ highlights program to condemn clubs for raising prices.
PL unveils new look
The English Premier League unveiled its new, sponsor-free “visual identity” Tuesday, which will take effect from the 2016-17 season onward.
The money-spinning English top flight is ending its 12-year association with Barclays bank in favor of becoming a ‘clean brand’ and will from now on be known simply as ‘the Premier League’.
The new logo — a crowned lion’s head gazing to the right, accompanied by either the words ‘Premier League’ or ‘PL’ — will replace the current logo of a lion with its left paw on a football.
“From next season we will move away from title sponsorship and the competition will be known as the Premier League, a decision which provided the opportunity to consider how we wanted to present ourselves as an organization and competition,” said Premier League managing director Richard Masters in a press release.
Barclays paid £120 million ($173.2 million) in 2012 for its most recent three-year contract.
By dropping its title sponsor, the Premier League is bringing itself in line with major American sporting competitions such as the NFL and NBA.
The Premier League is the most lucrative football championship in the world, with 17 of its clubs featuring in the top 30 of financial consultants Deloitte’s most recent football rich list.
