Doug King has already explained why he has made controversial Coventry City, Leicester City decision | OneFootball

Coventry City host Leicester City next month and Doug King has explained a controversial decision ahead of the M69 derby.

Coventry City and Leicester City renew their rivalry this season, with the Foxes having returned to the Championship after just one season in the Premier League.

The M69 derby played out back in September via a 0-0 draw, but January will see them face off at the CBS Arena. It's a rivalry which is often heated and sometimes controversial.

However, until the last few years, it has not been a regular fixture in English football. Leicester's 2023/24 promotion campaign was the first since 2011/12 when the fixture had been played.

The pair won a game apiece that year, with Coventry beating the Foxes 3-1 and Leicester defeating Coventry 2-1. The bragging rights are very much up for grabs next month, with neither able to claim victory at the King Power in September.

Doug King explains ticket prices for Leicester fans vs Coventry

Coventry and Leicester have two loud and loyal fanbases, and it's why the rivalry crackles with raw Midlands intensity. The clash is forged in proximity, history, and is all about pride and bragging rights that matter deeply to both sets of supporters.

Every meeting feels personal, charged by decades of needle and shifting fortunes — and recent developments have only added further to this. That's because Cov are charging Leicester fans £45 for their upcoming game.

Coming just after an expensive time of year around the hectic Christmas period, it's certainly controversial. However, Coventry chief Doug King has already explained why. Speaking via the BBC back in November, he said: "We think local derbies are great experiences — Leicester, Birmingham, West Bromwich Albion... We think our local derby partners are big games.

"Boxing Day is a critical game and has a lot of history. We always have a huge turnout and we need to optimise where we can optimise.

"When we need to discount and get people there on a cold midweek game in January, we'll do the same.

"People say the Premier League is capped at £30 but I say, 'Yeah, but the Premier League has got £120m broadcast revenue and I've got a pittance'. We're not printing money in the Championship.

"I am aware of these things and also that we want to watch great football and get to where we want to get to. There are sacrifices — that's the nature of the game — and it's getting more difficult in our league to be competitive and be sustainable."

Leicester can still finish in the top two with Coventry

Having taken down Ipswich Town 3-1 in the last week, it is essential for Leicester and Marti Cifuentes to build on that. Their squad is as strong as any in the division, and it could be a turning point in their season.

On top of that, they will be desperate to beat their rivals for the fans, but also to claw back into the automatic promotion race themselves. Middlesbrough are the club for Leicester, Ipswich, Southampton et al. to try and catch.

However, Leicester fans will still not be pleased to be paying more for that crucial away game against Coventry than they were for any game in the Premier League last term. The importance of a full away end cannot be understated for such an occasion, either.