Manchester United minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe was on the receiving end of angry chants and messages as fans protested outside Old Trafford before their match with Everton.
United, Everton, Liverpool and Manchester City supporters planned to hold joint demonstrations against rising ticket prices on Sunday as part of the Football Supporters’ Association’s Stop Exploiting Loyalty campaign.
At Old Trafford’s trinity statue, United fan group FC58, Everton supporters and Fans Supporting Foodbanks representatives displayed a Stop Exploiting Loyalty banner, after the Red Devils United raised members’ ticket prices to £66.
The mid-season price hike outraged fan groups, with supporters also frustrated at the lack of concessions for children or pensioners and without consultation.
The INEOS group and the Glazer family were also singled out during the protest, while a similar sight will take place at Anfield at 4pm before Liverpool face Manchester City in a top-of-the-table clash.
Several hundred people turned out to support the frustration towards United’s owners with signs reading “Man Utd ripping off kids” at the forefront of the crowd.
A statement from the fan groups on Thursday read: “Banners inside and outside the grounds will highlight a shared message: enough is enough – stop exploiting loyalty.
“Fan groups from all four clubs are joining to support the Football Supporters’ Association’s #StopExploitingLoyalty campaign, which highlights soaring ticket prices, the erosion of concessionary rates, and above-inflation increases that are pricing out the very people who form the backbone of English football culture.
“It comes in the same week the Premier League’s new broadcast rights deal rose by 17 per cent to a staggering £12.25bn, further diminishing the significance of general admission ticket income to clubs’ finances.
“Yet, despite this, all but one Premier League club raised ticket prices last season, and this week Manchester United announced that all new tickets for children and older fans at Old Trafford will increase to £66.
“There is also growing concern that some clubs are now targeting the £30 cap on away tickets in the Premier League, threatening to dismantle one of the last safeguards for fans, many of whom make multiple financial sacrifices to continue supporting their club. Football does not have a revenue problem; it has a spending problem – and loyal supporters should not bear the cost.”
The club have claimed that the price increase will only affect a small number of fans as 97 per cent of tickets have already been sold, but the remainder and resold tickets will be subject to the increase.