Liverpool and Newcastle fan groups join forces to demand answers over cup final ticket issues | OneFootball

Liverpool and Newcastle will be rivals on the pitch in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday, but supporter groups from the respective clubs have joined forces to voice a series of concerns regarding the fixture.

Around 90,000 fans are set to make the long journey south for the Wembley showpiece, which kicks off at 4:30pm and could conceivably go to extra time and penalties, with many of those in attendance set to only return home in the early hours of Monday morning.

The start time is just one of several issues raised by supporters from both clubs ahead of the match in northwest London at the weekend.

Liverpool and Newcastle fans write joint-letter to EFL

Spirit of Shankly (SoS) and the Newcastle United Supporters Trust (NUST) have written a joint-letter to the EFL to demand answers over three primary concerns which have arisen for fans wishing to attend the game.

Both clubs have received an official ticket allocation of 31,939 for the match, a decrease on the 32,999 that Liverpool had for the 2022 Carabao Cup final and the 32,761 for Magpies supporters when their team reached the decider the following year. Almost 30% of tickets for Sunday haven’t been distributed to the two clubs.

The letter also detailed how the price of a ticket in the safe standing section has jumped from £72 in 2023 to £97 now (34% increase); while in the same timeframe, pitchside tickets have gone from £40 to £76 (up 90%), and general admission tickets which cost £100 two years ago are now retailing at £150 (50% increase).

The 4:30 kick-off time was also criticised by both SoS and NUST, who claimed that it shows ‘scant regard for fans who are based more than 200 miles away’ from Wembley.

(Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Football fans are being exploited for their loyalty yet again

The 2024/25 season has seen multiple protests from supporters’ groups across the UK as they take a stand against the spiralling costs of tickets for football matches in this country, among other issues where fans’ loyalty is quite frankly being exploited.

For supporters of Liverpool and Newcastle, a cup final at Wembley should be an accessible and memorable experience, not a logistical and financial conundrum which involves a mammoth expense and a careful consideration of how best to travel to and from London.

The two clubs’ passionate fan bases will still make it an occasion to remember, but that doesn’t absolve the EFL from the unjustifiable cost increase for attending the Carabao Cup final, the awkward kick-off time or the inexplicably low ticket allocations to Merseyside and Tyneside.

Football’s governing bodies in the UK have long since spouted marketing rhetoric about how the sport is ‘nothing’ without the thousands of people who travel the length and breadth of the country at enormous expense for the team that they love.

We got a taster of that during the pandemic when supporters were prohibited from attending matches, which for almost the entire 2020/21 season were tough to watch amid the eerie backdrop of empty stadia.

Well done to SoS and NUST for demanding answers from the EFL over the various concerns for Sunday. It’s high time that loyal fans stopped being taken advantage of for actively supporting their team.

You can view the supporters groups’ joint-letter in full below, via @spiritofshankly on X: