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The Likes Of Arsenal, Manchester United And The Premier League Fans In General Deserve Better

Premier League

The Spanish La Liga and the German Bundesliga might be home to some of the greatest players and clubs at this point in time, but the Premier league’s intense and passionate fan following is still relatively unmatched. The premier leaguewith its viewership spread across 202 countries, a global reach into 613 million homes and live audiences for a single match standing at a mind-boggling 79.5 million, is truly a global event.

Then, why are the fans of the premier league clubs being made to pay such exorbitant amounts of money to watch their favourite teams play?

It would be foolish to suggest that the premier league clubs are in debt. If the clubs are in debt, they need to be a bit more prudent in the transfer market and not spend ludicrous amounts of money on wages. The clubs along with the FA should actively seek to promote youth football in England instead of recruiting expensive foreigners.

It is just quite staggering to find out that QPR’s least expensive season ticket is almost five times more expensive than the German champions Bayern Munich’s cheapest, which stands at a very nominal £104.  Bayern Munich’s former CEO,  Uli Hoeness couldn’t resist a dig at the premier league clubs when he was once quoted as saying  “We could charge more than €130 (£104). Let’s say we charged €380 (£300). We’d get €2.5m (£2m) more in income, but what’s €2.5m to us?”

“In a transfer discussion you argue about the sum for five minutes. But the difference between €130 and €380 is huge for the fans.”

“We do not think fans are like cows, who you milk. Football has got to be for everybody.”

“That’s the biggest difference between us and England.”

With the premier league’s latest  lucrative TV deal with Sky Sports all set to provide the clubs with new sets of riches, it is just about time the clubs took the voices of their fans into consideration. The Football Supporters’ Federation staged a demonstration outside the Premier league’s shareholders meeting asking for the prices to be reduced in the wake of the recent £5.1bn TV deal.

The FSF’s chief executive Kevin Miles said “Football has never had more money yet fans can still face absurd prices while further down the pyramid clubs struggle to survive and grassroots football is under resourced,” said Miles. “During the past 20 years football has been flooded with money, delivering huge reward for owners, agents, and players. This time we want to see fans benefit too.

“This colossal TV deal gives clubs a tremendous opportunity to give something back – they can easily afford to drop ticket prices and make football affordable for all.”

Of course, footballers and managers will continue to hog the limelight while the average fan descends into obscurity at the end of each match only to come back more determined in his love for the sport, his passion for the club and with a reinforced belief that he is well and truly a part of the club he loves to support.

A  club’s greatness, as much as it is defined by trophies and commercial success off the field, should also be defined by how well it values its fans, but at this point the English clubs are sorely lacking in that department and it is about time they learned from their German counterparts.