Liverpool supporters groups say they will carry on their tickets prices protest until the club responds to campaign organisers, the Spion Kop and the Spirit of Shankly (SOS).
The famous Kop, known for its loud voices, flags and banners, was stripped bare and the only banners on show at Saturday afternoon’s clash with Stoke at Anfield were to protest against the rise in match ticket prices over recent decades.
Liverpool FC are known all over the world for their magical Champions League nights at Anfield, and The Spion Kop told JMU Journalism that their protest will continue until the club replies to their demands.
The Reds are set to face Basel next Tuesday night, but a spokesman for the Spion Kop group said: “It will stay the same until the club get back to us. It is up to the club now to sit down with both us and the SOS to discuss ticket prices.”
Banners were raised at the start of the Stoke game stating: “Let me tell you a story of a poor boy” with others showing how much tickets have soared in 20 years. In 1990 Kop tickets were £4, rising to £24 in 2000 and then to £43 in 2010. The fourth flag was daubed with a question a mark to show the fans fears about how much a ticket will cost in 2020.
The Spion Kop and the Spirit of Shankly took the decision to write to Liverpool owner, John W Henry, and officials from the club to seek action. In their letter they said: “The current generation of support face being priced out, so how can we expect a future generation to take their place? It leaves us asking a worrying question – just what will our support be like in the next five, 10 or 15 years?
“If we do not begin to tackle this now, the question we will be forced to ask ourselves is: Just what is important to OUR football club – the colour of our flags or the colour of our money?”
Liverpool FC are yet to respond to the protest.