Man City board lambasted by ex-Premier League chief executive after ‘£5m’ green light
Former Everton chief Keith Wyness has accused Man City chiefs of being ignorant of the consequences of raising ticket prices.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, the 66-year-old – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – insisted fan groups should be involved with issues such as ticketing and suggested they can make executives “uncomfortable” through protest.
Man City informed fans last month that ticket prices will rise by an average of five per cent for all fans next season.
Supporters responded by raising a banner at the Etihad Stadium accusing the club of “exploiting their loyalty” ahead of their 0-0 draw with Arsenal (31 March) – which led to stewards ordering fans to remove the message from the stands.
Wyness ‘afraid’ for Man City owners after 5% ticket price increase
City announced record-breaking revenue of £713million in their 2022-23 accounts – but their matchday revenue of £72million trailed behind some rivals.
Wyness told Football Insider‘s Insider Track podcast: “The board will have approved this policy, which will have been brought to them by the commercial line.
“They’ll be thinking it’s great because it is another five million or so [pounds] on the bottom line.
“But they haven’t really thought through the consequences.
“Even with this race to get more and more revenue in a competitive environment, the fan has to be considered more.
“I’ve always been a big fan of that.
“I do think fans should be involved in things like pricing. A lot of the groups understand the need for increases, but they want to see it done logically.
“If you go together, you can find the right solution.”
“But when fans start to protest, they’re really quite clever and they can make things uncomfortable.
“When you’re on global television, and there’s a clever protest – it’ll catch the eye and I’m afraid the owners at Man City won’t be comfortable if the fans do turn.”
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