Birmingham City questioned for 'joke' decision ahead of Barcelona clash | OneFootball

Tickets for Blues' pre-season clash with the Spanish giants won't exactly come cheap

Birmingham City's pre-season preparations for the upcoming 2026/27 campaign are just days away from truly getting underway, as Chris Davies looks to ready his side for a second successive year in the Championship.

Blues will learn the order in which they will face off against their 23 divisional rivals next Thursday at 12PM, but for now, supporters are hoping, at least, that in the coming weeks, a successful recruitment drive will take place at St. Andrew's @ Knighthead Park.

Next month will mark three years since Knighthead Capital Management initially took control of the club, before completing a full takeover in November of last year.

During his time as owner, Tom Wagner has been extremely vocal when setting out his short and long-term ambitions for the West Midlands outfit, and other members of the hierarchy, which include NFL icon and seven-time Super Bowl winner, Tom Brady, have certainly followed the lead of the 56-year-old in that regard.

Indeed, there have been plenty of eyes cast on developments at Birmingham, especially through the Amazon Prime docuseries which first screened last August, giving an insight as to how the American investors operate with the likes of manager, Chris Davies, who has certainly received ample backing to reshape his squad across four transfer windows in League One and the Championship.

However, two of those last season could only yield a 10th-placed finish after a season of extremely mixed fortunes, and the pressure will certainly be on the club to deliver, especially with the play-offs now being expanded to six times.

And in a bid to showcase their early-season improvements, Blues will be hosting a high-profile friendly against La Liga champions, FC Barcelona.

That said, it isn't the upcoming 90 minutes on the pitch solely generating discourse.

Birmingham City slammed for ticket details ahead of high-profile Barcelona friendly

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Indeed, the pre-season encounter in B9 comes as a result of the Spanish giants holding a two-week training camp at England's St George's Park base near Burton, which commences four days beforehand.

The likes of Brady and Blues CEO, Jeremy Dale, have already expressed their excitement ahead of the clash, which will be the sixth time the two clubs have met.

Those who are men's and women's season ticket holders have been informed by the club that they will receive priority when it comes to match tickets, although a general sale adult ticket will set a supporter back £35, which has been criticised by Football League World's Birmingham City fan pundit, Jason Moore.

"I've seen a mixed response to it. I sit in the park of 'I think it's a joke'," he told FLW.

"I appreciate it's Barcelona and not someone we will play very often. But, for me, it feels like they're mugging the fans off a bit.

"It should be treated as an exciting day to build everyone up for the new season with some new players, and for me, they're just trying to fleece us.

"The disappointing thing is it won't have their star players involved," Moore stated. "At best, there will be a tiny number of them. So you're charging £30-£35 just because you are playing Barcelona.

"It doesn't sit right with me. If I take my daughter and wife, you're looking at £90, give or take. That is ridiculous for a friendly that means nothing.

"Credit to the fans who want to go and get the signatures, but for me, it's a joke and I won't be going. I'd rather spend my money on my family than watching a meaningless friendly," he added.

"I think it's really poor, and you're not going to see the likes of Lamine Yamal against Christoph Klarer.

"If anything, I'm disappointed in the club. They've always had a 'fans first' stance, and I think this time, they've put their 'pockets' first."

Ticket prices are becoming a hot topic of discussion in modern football

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Normally, pre-season friendlies do not cost this much money, but given the fact Birmingham are playing Barcelona, some will not be surprised as a result of how the modern game is impacted by finances.

Indeed, the prices of tickets are a hot topic of discussion at present, especially in relation to those who wanted to attend the FIFA World Cup 2026 in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Last season, Blues fans were, justifiably, outraged by the fact they had to part with £45 to see their side in an eventual 3-0 loss at Coventry City, but now the shoe appears to be firmly on the other foot as the club looks to generate a high amount of revenue from this game.

Given the stature of Barcelona as a club, irrespective of who is involved, it would be no surprise to see St. Andrew's largely full, as it has been more often than not since all four stands were reopened to full capacity two years ago.

However, it is also completely understandable that some supporters, like Moore, are much rather willing to spend the cost elsewhere, especially with the end result meaning next-to-nothing.