Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has defended the club's controversial decision to increase season ticket prices for fans by double the rate of inflation.
City supporters are furious at the decision by the Premier League champions to hike up the cost of season ticket prices by an average of five per cent, with some rising by as much as 10 per cent. Fan groups have urged the club to reconsider the cost increase and the financial impact on supporters, in light of City boasting record revenues of £712million in their recent financial results.
Al Mubarak said he understood the feeling among fans over the decision to raise the price of season tickets, but argued it was a difficult balancing act for the club. “This is a very delicate issue, for sure,” said Al Mubarak. "I appreciate the feelings of our fans when it comes to a very important aspect, which is the price of a ticket.
“I want to try to explain this very difficult balance that there is always tension between investing, growing, meeting more demand, being sustainable and financially viable, and at the same time, taking care of our core fan base and making sure they have affordable tickets and they continue to enjoy their football in the way they always have.
“We need to find ways to generate capital and revenue. Every pound coming out from that revenue has been reinvested in the team and continues to be reinvested in the team.
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“So, we have to again, tread carefully. We're talking very closely to our fanbase to make sure that we're able to strike that balance in an appropriate way. It's a balance.
“I recognise some of our fans are not satisfied on the pricing side of it. We have to find solutions for them. That is our job.
“We have to work this out, but we also have to grow and we have to find the right commercial avenues for the club to continue to grow and to generate revenue, which inevitably then comes back to support the team and support the success that you've seen and that you will continue to see.”
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