MU fan claims he was ‘KICKED OUT’ of broadcast for protesting ticket price hike

A Manchester United fan has claimed he was kicked out of the BBC's FA Cup third round broadcast on Monday night for protesting against his club's controversial ticket price hike.

The team came under fire last week for increasing matchday ticket prices to £66 per match, without concessions for children or pensioners, as is usual.

Prices started at £40 for adults and £25 for children, but tickets will now be charged in the highest category, A, regardless of where they are in Old Trafford.

While Mail Sport reported on Wednesday that Man United had stated that only three percent of supporters would be affected by the price increase, as 97 percent of tickets for all remaining matches had already been sold, the move comes against a backdrop of major budget cuts. at the club under minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe.

Manchester United Supporters' Trust had previously taken the club to task for providing 'zero consultation' over the increase, and fans protested against the increases ahead of the kick-off of United's meeting with Everton on Sunday afternoon.

But one fan took his protest to the next level when he appeared in the background of the televised draw for the next round of the competition on the title holders' field.

The fan appeared behind BBC presenter Kelly Sommers and held up his phone with a message written on the screen: '£66 thieves'.

Although the fan was not seen being removed from the broadcast, The Sun claims the person took to X (formerly Twitter) to post: 'I got kicked out for this btw'.

Mail Sport has contacted the club for comment.

Hundreds of fans had come to Old Trafford the day before to protest the increases, unfurling a 'Stop Exploiting Loyalty' banner and singing chants about Glazer ownership and Ratcliffe.

A similar banner was displayed around Anfield between Liverpool and Manchester City supporters before their Premier League match.

Ratcliffe's INEOS leadership, which took control of the Red Devils' football operations after confirming the petrochemical billionaire's purchase of a 27.7 percent stake in the club in February, has often been criticized for implementing cost-cutting measures .

As Mail Sport previously revealed, 250 staff have been made redundant during his tenure as minority owner, and in November this newspaper broke the news that the club is considering halving the annual budget for the Disabled Supporters Association.

Man United also took the decision to release legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson from his ambassadorial contract, cancel the annual Christmas party and, in a controversial FA Cup-related decision, scrap traditional staff benefits for the final, including paid trips to Wembley, a pre-match party and post-match lunch.

During the draw, Man United learned that they will begin their title defense against Premier League rivals Arsenal on January 11 next year.