Visiting fans have often had to pay more in the three European competitions than originally planned – UEFA now wants to close the loopholes.
Again and again, fans of visiting clubs in the Champions League, the Europa League and the Conference League were exposed to inflated ticket prices from their hosts.
The previous regulations stipulate the following:
- 5 percent of the tickets must be available to guest fans (in the Bundesliga it is 10 percent).
- The upper price limit for visiting fans is 70 euros in the Champions League, 45 euros in the Europa League and 35 euros in the Conference League.
- Restriction: Ticket prices for away fans may not exceed ticket prices for home fans in a “comparable category” not exceed.
But some clubs found loopholes.
The loophole in the rulebook: discounts for home fans only
In the past, some clubs have given their own fans discounts that they withheld from away fans. For example, home fans with season tickets, for members or when tickets for several games were sold as a package were charged less than guests, even though their tickets were in the same category. This was previously expressly covered by the regulations through exceptions.
UEFA is now closing these gaps, and the exceptions will be abolished in the European Cup. The Football Supporters Europe (FSE) fan alliance had campaigned for this, and negotiations between UEFA, FSE and the club association ECA resulted in the newly formulated rules. A circular sent by UEFA to all national associations states: “The new wording is effective immediately.” It will be used for all games in the 2023/24 season.
“Aren’t you getting fed up?” Prizes for guest fans were often a point of contention
The pricing for visiting fans repeatedly caused dissatisfaction in the European Cup. In February 2022 Bayern Munich played in the Champions League at Red Bull Salzburg. While Salzburg fans paid 30 euros behind the goal, Bayern fans on the other side were asked for 60 euros. UEFA announced an examination – the Bayern fans never got their 30 euros back.
At RSC Anderlecht, Bayern fans initially had to pay 100 euros for a ticket. The Bayern fans reacted with banners (“Aren’t you getting your neck full?”) and threw fake-Banknotes in the interior. UEFA fined Bayern 20,000 euros for the behavior of the fans, but also ruled that Anderlecht have to pay back 30 euros per ticket because the price for visiting fans was much higher than for home fans.
The “price war” between Manchester and Seville also led to the cap
A veritable “price war” broke out in early 2018 between Manchester United and Sevilla FC. After Sevilla demanded between 100 and 150 euros from Manchester fans, subsidized United his fans buying tickets. As a tit-for-tat and to finance this measure, Manchester bled Seville’s fans with ticket prices of 100 euros – but they were the wrong addressee for the displeasure.
100 to 150 euros entry: Manchester fans 2018 at FC Sevilla
The conflict was a catalyst for the introduction of a price cap agreed by UEFA and the ECA club association for the 2019/20 season. But the upper limit of 70 euros in the Champions League is also criticized by many fans as too high. “70 euros? Fuck you” – Bayern fans left this message in 2022 on a plexiglass pane of the Viktoria Pilsen stadium after they had to pay the maximum price there. UEFA then imposed a fine of 15,000 euros on Bayern.
Clear announcement: Bayern fans in Pilsen for the upper price limit of 70 euros in the Champions League
Conference League is partially cheaper
In addition to ending the loopholes, the new rules offer another improvement for fans. The price ceiling in the conference league will be reduced from 35 to 25 euros from the 2023/24 season.
The background is that in no game should the cheapest card be more expensive than the cheapest card in the final. And in the conference league the cheapest tickets in the final cost 25 euros.
West Ham United fans at the 2023 Conference League Final in Prague