Carabao Cup final hit by row over prices and discrimination

Carabao Cup final was engulfed by accusations of discrimination and the fleecing of fans last night as plans for the return of crowds were condemned by supporters’ groups.

The announcement of ticketing arrangements for the first major UK football final with spectators since the coronavirus crisis began provoked a backlash after the clinically extremely vulnerable were told to stay away from the match.

Pregnant women and anyone living with someone in either of those groups were also told not to apply for tickets for the game between Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur at Wembley on April 25, while children were banned from attending altogether.

Spursability, Tottenham’s disabled supporters’ club, said in a statement: “The policy adopted is a direct discrimination toward many disabled supporters. Returning to live matches is the lifeline needed to maintain their mental health after long periods of forced isolation, yet they are being precluded on outdated advice and an approach open to abuse in so many ways.”

Those sentiments were echoed by Level Playing Field, the national charity that represents disabled sports fans, while the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust, Manchester City Official Supporters Club and City fan body 1894 Group also denounced the arrangements.

Criticising their own lack of involvement in devising plans, they also cast doubt on the scientific value of an experiment at which half of the 8,000 crowd will be made up of local residents and National Health Service workers, which they warned would lead to ticket touting.

They added in a joint statement: “The biggest insult of all is that, alone among all those attending, the few fans of the competing clubs lucky enough to get a ticket to be part of a research project will be charged up to £50 each for the privilege. It’s another missed opportunity and another indication of how fans are viewed.”

A spokesman for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said: “These pilots are the first steps to helping all members of the public safely back to mass events.”