Espanyol director Joan Collet has admitted that the club are concerned by the sharp drop in season ticket sales this season.
Los Periquitos have posted sales of 29,136 season tickets for 2012-13, marking a 4,064 decline on 2011-12’s numbers.
“It is a difficult time and many clubs have had this problem. The high percentage of club members who are not renewing their ticket is an economic issue,” began the CEO via a statement posted on the club’s official website.
“We cannot turn our backs on reality and say that this is entirely because of the crisis, however. There are people who have been upset by the last two seasons, either at a sporting level or at the board of directors.
“People were hoping the team would qualify for Europe.”
However, Collet make clear that the club are not in a position to change their current strategy to suit fans.
“The project will be affected by the budget that we have in place and we must be disciplined. The economic controls from UEFA and the Spanish League (LFP) are increasingly stringent.
“Espanyol must try and be the positive surprise of the season. We have to keep an eye on the European places in the table, but also on the relegation spots.”
The team currently sit 19th in the Division, with one point to their name from four rounds played.