Fan groups not happy at all with the club's new ticket policy
City Facing Fresh Legal Battle
City find themselves facing an unexpected battle off the pitch after legal experts raised concerns about their revamped season ticket regulations.
Manchester City find themselves facing an unexpected battle off the pitch after legal experts raised serious concerns about their revamped season ticket regulations, warning the club could be flouting equality legislation.
The club have received formal correspondence from solicitors acting for Trade Union Blues, a supporters' organisation, challenging the lawfulness of attendance requirements set to take effect next season. The lawyers argue that several proposed measures could breach the Equality Act 2010 and unfairly discriminate against vulnerable fan groups.
City's new framework demands season ticket holders ensure their seats are occupied for a minimum of 16 matches—up from the previous 14—whilst introducing a fresh stipulation requiring personal attendance at no fewer than 10 fixtures. The regulations effectively mean supporters must physically attend the majority of home games to retain their tickets, significantly curtailing opportunities to pass seats to relatives or return them to the club for redistribution.
The policy overhaul emerged from discussions with City Matters, the club's fan advisory panel, forming part of a broader agreement that saw the Etihad hierarchy freeze ticket prices for the forthcoming campaign. This represented a climbdown from initial proposals for another price increase, abandoned following fierce supporter resistance.
However, Trade Union Blues contend the attendance requirements create an unfair playing field, disproportionately affecting elderly supporters, disabled fans, expectant mothers, new parents, shift workers, and international supporters who cannot guarantee regular attendance. The group has also questioned the installation of facial recognition technology at turnstiles, though City insist this system will exclusively monitor staff and remain inactive during matchdays.
The legal challenge centres on concerns that the policy discriminates against supporters who face genuine barriers to attendance. Solicitors argue City has legal obligations to avoid discriminating against protected groups and that failing to account for these responsibilities undermines the values of equality, diversity and inclusion that the club publicly champions.
The Manchester Evening News has seen correspondence between the supporters' group and City, with lawyers requesting urgent clarification on the ticketing changes. They've highlighted apparent contradictions between the new measures and City's commitment to maintaining Premier League Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Standard accreditation at advanced level.
The legal team has requested face-to-face meetings with club officials to resolve the dispute, though City have yet to respond publicly to the discrimination allegations.
For a club that prides itself on progressive values and community engagement, these discrimination claims represent an unwelcome distraction. The irony won't be lost on supporters that whilst City dominated English football for four consecutive seasons with their inclusive, attacking philosophy, they now face accusations of excluding loyal fans who backed them through far leaner times.
The outcome of this legal challenge could set significant precedents for how Premier League clubs structure their ticketing policies, particularly regarding accessibility and equality considerations.
