Friction and unrest expected as Aston Villa fans react to ticket price hikes
Club’s eye-popping Champions League pricing has rankled the fanbase amid planned protests at home to Everton
It was on the fictional island of Isla Nublar somewhere off the Pacific coast where Dr Ian Malcolm, over a spot of lunch in a space-like booth, delivered a lesson in ethics that has felt pertinent in the real world over the past week or so. Until Aston Villa released their eye-popping Champions League ticket prices, a comparison between the club and a cutting line from Jurassic Park would have felt far-fetched. “Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should,” said Malcolm, played by Jeff Goldblum, as the park’s altruistic founder got giddy at the prospect of bringing dinosaurs back to life.
The 1993 film was directed by Steven Spielberg, Villa’s ticket prices seemingly by Chris Heck, the president of business operations, who doubled down on the price points in a statement on Tuesday, almost a week on from sparking the storm. He blamed profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) and the “need to generate” maximum revenue through sponsorships, merchandise and, er, ticket sales.
Continue reading...Date: |
Topics
-
The Guardian - World
Aston Villa fans’ lame resistance to ticket price greed lets hierarchy off the hook | Barry Glendenning
Unaware of the power they wield, football supporters remain reluctant to stage visible acts of dissent against clubs that routinely exploit them. If the powers that be at Aston Villa were remotely ...Yesterday -
The Guardian - World
Young Boys 0-3 Aston Villa: Champions League – live reaction
Champions League updates from the 5.45pm BST kick-off Follow Milan v Liverpool and our Tuesday clockwatch Live scoreboard | Read Football Daily | And email Scott 2 min: Two early ...10 hours ago - UEFA Champions League -
The Guardian - World
Tielemans leads Aston Villa triumph at Young Boys in Champions League start
An hour before kick-off the few hundred Aston Villa supporters admiring the view from their seats cheered the first rendition of the Champions League anthem over the speakers and their mood was ...9 hours ago - UEFA Champions League -
ABC News - Sports
New Champions League format makes its debut with same old winners: Madrid, Liverpool, Bayern, Juve
The revamped Champions League made its debut with some familiar clubs claiming victories on opening night6 hours ago - UEFA Champions League -
The Guardian - World
Billy Connolly, blisters and Bayern: how Aston Villa won the 1982 European Cup
As the club return to Europe’s top table for the first time in 41 years we talk to players who made history back then. Nigel Spink, goalkeeper : The first thing I must say is we are all devastated ...22 hours ago -
CBS News - Top stories
Ex-Secret Service leader reacts to Trump Florida assassination attempt
The acting director of the U.S. Secret Service on Monday praised the agency for its "exemplary response" to Sunday's apparent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. A.T. Smith, ...Yesterday - Donald Trump -
CBS News - Top stories
Sam's Club hikes pay as it competes for workers with other retailers
Sam's Club workers with longer tenures to get larger increases in changes slated to take effect in early November.8 hours ago -
Financial Times - Business
THG, and the art of expectation management
Ingenuity is an attitude, not just a brand name22 hours ago -
ESPN - Sports
Vols up ticket costs by 10% to help pay athletes
Tennessee is increasing the cost of tickets for all sports by 10%, with the "talent fee" being used to help pay athletes as part of the revenue-sharing plan.1 hour ago
More from The Guardian
-
The Guardian - World
Pagers in deadly attack on Hezbollah ‘made in Europe’, as Middle East braces for reprisals
Taiwanese company Gold Apollo says a company in Europe made the pagers used in extraordinary attack in Lebanon that Hezbollah blames on Israel. See all our Middle East crisis coverage The ...34 minutes ago -
The Guardian - World
UK’s ‘not for EU’ meat and dairy labelling plan postponed indefinitely
Policy devised under Conservatives will be reviewed after warnings of chaos for producers and suppliers. Government plans to force food manufacturers to put “not for EU” labels on all meat and ...1 hour ago -
The Guardian - World
Russia propaganda group behind fake Kamala Harris hit-and-run story, says Microsoft
Microsoft researchers found that the group created a video, paid an actor to appear as the alleged victim, and spread the claim through a fake website. A false claim circulating on social media ...4 hours ago -
The Guardian - World
Japan has just 13 female CEOs among top 1,600 companies, survey shows
Fewer than 1% of chief executive officers at the 1,643 firms listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange are women, survey finds. Japan’s long campaign to appoint more women to senior roles in business and ...45 minutes ago - Japan -
The Guardian - World
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs denied bail in sex trafficking and racketeering charges
Attorneys for music mogul request home detention, travel restrictions and $50m bond in Manhattan court. A timeline of Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ allegations and charges Sean “Diddy” Combs was ...7 hours ago