Eleven La Liga clubs have come to an historic agreement to limit the prices of tickets for away fans.
The intiative mimics a similar scheme in the Premier League, and one in place in Segunda, which was started by Aficiones Unidas [Fans United], and will limit the cost of tickets for away fans to €25. It prevents the extortion of travelling fans, and promotes a culture of travelling support that currently is not frequent in Spanish football, but has been successful in the second tier.
Relevo say that Real Betis, Sevilla, Girona, Real Sociedad, Mallorca, Cadiz, Almeria, Athletic Club, Atletico Madrid, Valencia and Celta Vigo have all agreed to the scheme, while Real Madrid and Villarreal have so far rejected the proposal.
Barcelona, Las Palmas, Granada and one of the promoted Alaves or Levante are still taking their time to consider the deal. Presumably that is the case too for Getafe, Osasuna and Rayo Vallecano, who are not mentioned in the piece.
There is talk that each side might be allowed one exception this season, where they are allowed to price games as they wish. Equally, there is a suggestion that the home side must guarantee that at least 300 away fans are able to attend the match.
This is a valuable and all too rare step towards looking after fans in the Spanish game, and should be applauded as such. As the cost of supporting and watching football matches continues to spiral upwards, this will ease the cost for those who follow their team far and wide across a large country.
