Fans furious about ticket allocations and prices ahead of crowds’ return

The long-awaited return of crowds is erupting into a row over ticket numbers and prices, as football is accused of failing to learn from the European Super League outrage.

Tottenham Hotspur, one of the “Big Six” plotters, sparked the most anger among supporters by setting a £60 price band on a 6pm midweek kick-off for the only home match that crowds can attend this season.

Meanwhile, Chelsea and Leicester City fans reacted angrily to the Football Association allocations of 6,250 each of a 22,000 capacity for the FA Cup final on May 15. “We are supporters, not customers,” a joint statement issued yesterday by the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust said.

The Cup final is the last government pilot before the official return of fans two days later. The allocation of 9,500 for residents in the Brent area, key workers and FA affiliates and sponsors was approved by Government and local authorities. However, Chelsea Supporters’ Trust said it was “thoroughly disappointed at the allocations”, while the Foxes Trust stated “this is unacceptable”.

“We believe that, with proper communication and consultation with supporters, a more favourable approach could have been adopted to give more loyal supporters an opportunity to attend,” the Chelsea supporters’ statement said.

“The FA is quick to condemn those involved [in the failed Super League breakaway] yet, only two weeks later, are still happy to have little consideration for supporters when they themselves are financially benefiting.”

Spurs were accused by the cochairman of the club’s supporters’ trust of presiding over a “shambles” in announcing prices for the Aston

Villa match. “The first ticketing decision taken without talking to your fan reps in eight years and you’ve turned even more loyal supporters against you,” Martin Cloake, of THST, wrote online. “It takes a special kind of intelligence to turn the return of fans after a year locked out into a PR disaster.”

Tottenham had confirmed in a statement that the Villa match on May 19 would be “in line with the average price of a seat across our general admission areas for a category B fixture” – which is £60 for an adult, plus a booking fee of £1.75.