Villa raises Champions League ticket prices to meet financial regulations

Villa fans are outraged by the high pricing of tickets, with season ticket holders also being charged between £70 and £79 per match.

Non-season ticket holders would have to pay between £75 and £94 for a single match.

The lowest tier for pensioners and under-21s sits at £65, which is more than clubs such as Liverpool and Newcastle United charge for Champions League games.

Villa’s president of business operations Chris Heck said: “We want to thank all our season ticket holders who have recently exercised their right to buy tickets for our first Champions League game vs Bayern Munich and apologize to all those on the season ticket waiting list and to those general fans who were unable to secure seats for this game.

“We recognise and understand the depth of passion felt amongst fans and their recent frustration around ticket pricing.

“Achieving our sporting ambitions while complying with financial stability regulations requires difficult decisions.

“Financial fair play rules prohibit owners from covering shortfalls to finance this ambition, so we need to generate as much revenue as possible through sponsorships, merchandise, and ticket sales to ensure that we can keep the club where it rightfully belongs – competing (and winning) at the top of English and European football.

“Additionally, we want to thank our fans for their patience and for their loyal support whilst we do out utmost to grow the club as a business, and ensure we are all doing our part to support our players on the pitch both home and away.

“Our priority will always be to match our collective ambition while ensuring that we are able to increase stadium capacity each season and provide the best matchday experience for all our fans.

“We are committed to ensuring the club’s enduring long-term success both on and off the field.”