‘Man City have just made amazing move after U-turn’
Man City have responded to fan criticism by announcing a huge ticket price cut ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.
City are reducing the cost of their lowest-price matchday tickets by up to 43%, having already frozen season ticket prices.
The Manchester giants are also hoping to open their new North Stand development during next season, taking capacity at the Etihad Stadium to 61,000.
Man City have long faced criticism from rival fans and even manager Pep Guardiola for the atmosphere at home games, while the club’s faithful support have criticised the numbers of “tourist” fans in attendance.
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – insisted other clubs should follow City in reducing prices for loyal supporters.
Man City move against ‘tourist fans’, says Wyness
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness claimed “tourist” fans should not be prioritised over “the regular loyal fan who has been coming for years”.
Man City start their 2025-26 campaign away at Wolves, followed by clashes against Tottenham and Brighton.
| Ranking | Stadium | Capacity |
| 1 | Old Trafford (Man United) | 74,197 |
| 2 | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (Tottenham) | 62,850 |
| 3 | London Stadium (West Ham) | 62,500 |
| 4 | Anfield (Liverpool) | 61,276 |
| 5 | Emirates Stadium (Arsenal) | 60,704 |
| 6 | Etihad Stadium – expansion in progress (Man City) | 52,900 |
Wyness told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “I think I’ve seen price reductions as high as 43%, which is amazing.
“To me, the City owners have always been a very, very good ownership group. Here is a case where they’ve listened, and that’s great to see.
“I do think it’s right that the match-going loyal fan should not be screwed for every last penny.
“I’m very much in favour of the fans and all the clubs I’ve managed, we’ve always done our very best to make sure we’ve had the best deals in terms of pricing and kept things frozen when we can do.
“But we all know the relentless demands and we know the fans want all the top players, yet they don’t want to pay extra for the tickets.
“We understand that dilemma, but I think in this case, City have done the right thing.
“Now, there’s other issues around season tickets and how many games you’ve got to go to now to maintain your season ticket.
“These conversations are going to go on in all sorts of areas right now, but the fans are organising well, they’re getting a good voice, and I think this is one area that the Premier League needs to keep at the forefront of and make sure those stadiums are filled with proper fans and not just the tourist fans.
“I’ve got to say, by all means it should be available to some people when they come over, but it shouldn’t be readily available and certainly not at the expense of the regular loyal fan who’s been coming for years.
“I applaud City on this and I think other clubs should be looking at this as well.”
Man City make Gibbs-White decision
Meanwhile, Football Insider has revealed (16 June) that Man City have made a final decision about their pursuit of Nottingham Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White.
Following the arrivals of Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders, City’s interest in Gibbs-White has cooled.
Forest’s £70million valuation for their star midfielder is thought to be a large factor in the decision.
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