Manchester City get an awful lot of things right when it comes to putting things in place to have a successful football team – but yesterday, the club appeared to make a shameful decision.
City were in action last night against Aston Villa in the Premier League, and won 4-1 at the Etihad Stadium – and it was a brilliant team performance, especially in the second-half.
Phil Foden was the star of the show, with pundit Ally McCoist comparing him to Paul Gascoigne as he hit a brilliant hat-trick. Rodri was also sublime in midfield.
It was a fantastic performance, and a night filled with positives.
But something the club apparently did before last night’s game simply cannot be ignored – and it relates to a decision that was made on Sunday for the game against Arsenal…
Manchester City did not return accreditations to 1894 Group ahead of Aston Villa clash
Ahead of last night’s game, journalist Sam Lee reported on X that the popular Manchester City fan group 1894 Group were unable to set up banners and displays at the Etihad Stadium against Villa last night.
This was because on Sunday against Arsenal, the group displayed banners protesting against the rise in season ticket prices. Next season, prices of tickets will increase by an average of 5%.
Following that, the group had their accreditation removed by the club, and they were not returned to members for last night’s clash with Villa.
Lee wrote on X: “There won’t be an 1894 Group display at the Etihad tonight after members had accreditations removed following Sunday’s ‘Record profits, record prices’ protest banner. Accreditations not yet returned and without them the group cannot set up the displays pre-match.”
There was then an update from Lee, who said: “City say that 1894 did not apply for accreditation for Villa and that, had they done so, they would have been granted it.”
But the group strongly disputed that, claiming: “Club notified well in advance we were doing display tonight, 13th March at 2.36 pm.”
As reported by the Telegraph after the game with Arsenal, City sources insisted the only reason the banner against the Gunners was confiscated was because it was draped over advertising boards and not because of its content.
“The banner was only up pre-match and never during the game,” a spokesperson for the 1894 said.
A terrible look
If it is true that City did not give the 1894 Group their accreditation back for the game with Aston Villa so that they could not display protest banners, then it is truly shameful.
The club are choosing to raise ticket prices during a cost of living crisis when many people are struggling, and should be held to account for that decision, which is tone-deaf.
Fans are rightly annoyed, because the club posted record revenues of £713 million last season. There is therefore no real need to be raising prices.
The club continue to do amazing things on the pitch. But this is undoubtedly an issue off it that City really need to handle a lot better.