Jamie Carragher has compared Liverpool to a lottery jackpot winner who refuses to look after his parents after the club’s controversial decision to raise ticket prices.
The Anfield legend was among the 10,000 or so supporters to walk out of Anfield during Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Sunderland in protest at the hikes, which will see some seats in the new Main Stand cost a ludicrous £77.
@Carra23 did it #WalkOutOn77 pic.twitter.com/kF2L8aDB91
— Connor Savage (@Conn_1996) February 6, 2016
The club appear to have been taken aback by the level of anger among fans and boss Jurgen Klopp has insisted that the issue needs to be resolved quickly, but Carragher says it is about time that Premier League giants stopped taking their support for granted.
“The new television deal, which will see £5billion pumped in domestically and another £3bn from overseas, means 20 clubs have won the lottery,” the former Red writes in his Daily Mail column.
“So why are they not taking this chance to look after the fans? Look at Liverpool. The decision to implement the most expensive seats in the club’s history has led to uproar on Merseyside and the backlash during the game against Sunderland has brought this issue sharply into focus.
“Walking out, though, wasn’t a nice experience. The pictures you will have seen were visually striking — and they struck a chord with Fenway Sports Group, the club’s owners — but it wasn’t a happy atmosphere inside the stadium as fans argued with each other.
“For a short time, it took me back to 2010 when the reign of previous owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett was falling apart. That was an awful time and this situation cannot be allowed to escalate. There can be no denying, however, Liverpool have got this wrong.
“You want to be proud of your club. You chose them and stick with them through thick and thin. If Marks and Spencer’s increase their prices, you can shop somewhere else but when your team does it, you are obliged to stick with them.
“That’s what people need to understand about the walkout at Anfield. It wasn’t just Liverpool fans sticking up for themselves, it was Liverpool fans saying ‘enough is enough’ for every supporter across the land.”
